The Princess and the Little Bird
by RosieHal
Summary: When her father accepts a position as an adviser to the High King Gil-galad, Lindriel is forced to move by the sea, leaving everything she has ever known behind her. Though initially apprehensive, she befriends an elfling who makes her realize her new home is the best place in Middle-earth.
1. A New Home

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Everything belongs to my cat.

**A/N:** I've had this story on my mind for a _really_ long time, and I just want to see what kind of response I get. Enjoy!

**A New Home**

Lindriel didn't want to live by the sea, she wanted to go home. But home, however, was no longer in Harlindon at the base of the Blue Mountains, but in Aearellond, the king's city in Forlindon. Or so her parents told her.

The little elfling rubbed her eyes, tired and swollen from the hours of crying. It seemed that was all she had done since her father told her that he had accepted a position as a counselor to the High King Gil-galad, and that they would be leaving straightaway.

Though very young, Lindriel understood that she would be leaving everything that she had ever known. She feared she would never again see her little room that overlooked their flower garden, or the library that had all her favorite books.

"Are you getting sleepy Tithenaew?" her father Lindhren said, calling her by her mother name.

"No!" she cried, slamming her tiny fists on the saddle horn.

Lindriel, being only six years old, was far too small to ride by herself and shared the saddle with her father. In the eyes of the Edain, she would have appeared no more than two years of age. Yet like many of the children of the Eldar, her comprehension of the world and her understanding of language far outstripped the children of the other races.

"It would do you good to rest awhile anyway," Irien, her beautiful raven-haired mother said. "We will be arriving soon, and you would not like to be too tired to play with all of the other elflings."

Lindriel huffed. Her mother had been desperately trying to change her attitude by telling her about all the wonderful things she would be able to do once they reached their new home. Yet the little elfling had not been swayed by the tales of sailing in white boats, playing on the beaches, collecting seashells, and swimming with colorful fish.

At least, not outwardly.

"Your mother is right; you would make a bad impression if you were to fall asleep whilst swimming and playing― "

"I will not swim or play!" Lindriel argued, drawing a sigh from her father.

"What will you do then?" Irien countered with an uplifted brow.

Lindriel hated when her mother did this to her and glared in response. Truth be told, Lindriel did like the idea of playing with other elflings as long as she wanted. She had pitifully few playmates her age and they did not play with her very long. She desperately wanted a friend. Realizing her defeat, Lindriel leaned back and hid herself within her father's cloak.

"Stubborn as a dwarf," Lindhren muttered.

"She'll change her mind soon enough," Irien replied with a breezy smile. "She's leaving the only place she's ever known, give her time."

Lindhren sighed, but said no more. The wind was picking up, blowing through his long black hair. It was a welcome respite from the steady sun, as he neglected to wear more suitable attire for the journey. He jumped when the invitation came, as it was a much better prospect than remaining among the councilors of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. In less than a day they had packed their belongings, made arrangements to have them delivered to their new home, saddled their horses, and left.

He was amongst the few Noldo who chose to settle in the region of Harlindon, but quickly found that many of their Sindarin neighbors greatly distrusted them. The Noldo were still seen as the harbingers of woe to their Unwilling kin. Who could blame them though? The wars against Morgoth and the brutality of the sons of Fёanor were still fresh in everyone's minds.

At least in Forlindon they would be amongst their own kin who would allow their children to play with their daughter.

While her parents delved into a conversation about the future, Lindriel half listened as she wondered about what life would be like by ocean. She had seen many pictures of the sea in her books, as well as the silver ships of the sea-elves. She wanted to see a ship in person, perhaps sail on one like Eärendil did. She would have many friends to play with on the beaches and collect every type of seashell.

Lindriel rested her chin on the saddle horn as she dreamed of an idyllic life by the sea, til her father pulled her against him as she began to slip into reverie.

"―the queen is a healer; I should endeavor to make myself useful, perhaps I will find a place in the infirmaries." Lindriel heard her mother say as her father's movement jostled her awake.

Lindhren snorted in amusement. "All we need now is to find Lindriel a place amongst the princess' household."

"There's a princess?" Lindriel yawned, her curiosity stronger than her weariness.

"Aye," Lindhren nodded. "The king has a young daughter, Princess Ereiniel. Perhaps you will be able to meet her."

Lindriel smiled at that. She would love to meet a princess like the raven-haired Lúthien, or perhaps the golden Idril.

Those were the last tangible thoughts she had before fully slipping into reverie; the plains of grass before them transformed into a sea of green dotted with yellow, white, and pink ships that blew about in the gentle breeze.

When she next awoke, her father was again moving about, but this time he was shaking her gently.

"Awake! Awaken Tithenaew!" he coaxed as Lindriel rubbed her eyes. After blinking away the last visages of reverie, she realized that the sight before her was from no dream.

The sea lay before her, stretching so far out into the horizon that it melded into the blue sky above. She could see silver ships gliding across the waters, their white sails unfurled, and seagulls flying overhead. A smile broke out across her face as she leaned over the saddle horn, her black hair suddenly whipped about in the salty air when her father's arms could no longer shield her.

"Look! Some have symbols on their sails!" Lindriel pointed at the ships.

"Those are heraldic symbols," her father said as he coaxed their grey horse to a stop. "Those ships must belong to some of the noble families that live here."

"Will we be able to go sailing?" Lindriel asked, her eyes never leaving the ships.

"Perhaps, after a few days," Lindhren said. "We must first get settled."

Lindriel's smile faded a bit as they began moving again, following the grassy plain that lay beside the sea. She was disappointed, but only a little, since she expected such an answer. She kept her eyes fixed upon the ocean and sandy shore, intrigued by everything she saw.

There were a few elves along the shore, but they were unlike those Lindriel had ever seen. Their hair was either silver or white, without the hint of yellow that she had seen on the Sindarin elves. They would wave whenever they saw them, and called out something Lindriel could not understand.

Though she didn't recognize the language they spoke, their smiles and friendly gestures compelled her to smile and wave in return. Surprisingly, her father responded in the same tongue, making Lindriel's ears twitch.

"What are you saying?"

"Good morning," Lindhren responded with a smile. "That's what they're saying as well. The Falathrim are far more polite than the Sindar."

"The Falathrim," Lindriel repeated under her breath, her eyes sparkling with interest. They were the Coast Dwellers who took Cirdan the Shipwright as their lord. They were also the famous mariners who rescued King Fingon during the Dagor Bragollach and aided Eärendil in building the famous ship Vingilótë.

"Look there, Lindriel, there's our new home," her mother said, pointing ahead.

The sea was a marvel, but the city before them, having been carved from the white cliffs, was a wonder to behold. Aearellond gleamed like pearls in sunlight; banners of every color blew from the blue tinged rooftops and spires that stretched high into the sky. A large harbor lay at the foot of the city, where rows of silver ships docked.

"That's home?" Lindriel squealed in delight.

"Yes, Tithenaew, that is home," her father laughed, amused and relieved by her excitement.

Lindriel grinned widely as they approached the city, craning her neck around the horse's head and her father's arms to get a better view. When they passed through the arched gateway a tall elf with silver hair, and dressed in gold armor and blue tabard came to greet them. Lindriel couldn't help but stare at the large sword attached to his waist.

"Greetings to you, friends," the elf said in a melodic voice. "Have you traveled far to reach our city?"

"From Lord Celeborn's domain in the Blue Mountains," her father answered as he dismounted. "I am Lindhren of Mithrim, come at the behest of the High King."

"Ah!" The silver elf's eyebrows raised, and his eyes twinkled as he smiled. "I received a missive when I was eating breakfast telling me to be expect you. I had no idea you would arrive so soon!"

"I thought it best to not keep the king waiting," Lindhren replied.

"Greater prospects often make us fly like eagles," the elf mused. "No doubt the, _hospitality_ of the Sindar was waning as well."

Her father laughed at this and inclined his head in concession.

"Forgive me, I have yet to introduce myself, I am Suiauthon, Captain in the King's Guard and Gatekeeper of Aearellond, at your service," the elf bowed low.

"My wife, Irien," Lindhren said as she dismounted and came forward, leading her grey horse. "And our daughter, Lindriel."

"Well met, lady," Suiauthon said, and kissed her mother's hand. "And to you, small lady," he addressed Lindriel with the greatest delight, who remained seated on her father's horse. "I hope you find our city to your liking; we have many amusements for elflings, I daresay we cater to the young."

"Like swimming and sailing?" Lindriel asked, her eyes wide.

"Indeed, and much more!" Suiauthon said. "My own son enjoys sledding on dunes and fishing, I have no doubt you will find many friends who will show you their play. But come! You must be exhausted from your travels, allow me to escort you to the palace, there you will be directed to your new home."

Her parents thanked him profusely, and after Suiauthon sent a runner ahead, he led them through the city streets. Lindhren and Irien conversed freely with the captain, but Lindriel heard none of their conversation as they walked to the palace.

She still rode on her father's horse, which gave her a better view of her surroundings. The streets were paved with white, blue, and green stones, and there were white fountains, flowering pink trees, and growing greenery everywhere she looked. There were elves with silver, white, black, and gold hair all around, garbed in brightly colored robes far lighter and more intricate than any she had ever seen. She saw elflings all-round her, running about with each other, laughing, and waving at her.

There were shops with all kinds of spices, jewelry, clothing, and cutlery for sale. She saw glittering suncatchers in one window and baked pastries in the next. When her eyes fell upon a small open-aired shop selling all sorts of confectionaries, Lindriel's mouth watered. She gazed longingly at the sugared fruits, honeyed cakes, and colorful biscuits, which didn't escape Suiauthon's attention.

With her parents' attention elsewhere, he quickly slipped up to the counter, plucked something from a display and tossed the vendor a coin. He returned a moment later and handed her a lavender lolly.

"A welcoming gift," he winked.

Lindriel thanked him and shoved it in her mouth. She sucked on the flavored sugar as they passed the markets and journeyed higher into the cliffside. They could see the sea better from up here, as well as the bustling city below. The structures here were less pronounced as they were built deep within the cliffside; terraces, stairways, and doorways were often the only markers. The colorful banners that blew from every spire faded to blue, and the elves they passed wore far more stately attire and bejeweled circlets.

They went through an open gate guarded by armored warriors with spears and shields, and came into a broad courtyard. The ground was an intricate mosaic of blue, white, and gold stars, and small trees framed the circular space. A wide stairwell led to a terrace and a grand doorway flanked by statues of elven warriors.

Lindriel's eyes wandered at the magnificent stonework. She followed the delicate arches that framed the exposed walkways and balconies above, hinting at the magnitude of the structure within. She was still observing all that was around her, sucking on her lolly, when a slender figure in red emerged from the doorway.

He was young, fair-faced, and his shining black hair was loose around his shoulders. As he descended the stairs and came before them, she could see that he was shorter than her father, but held a far more regal bearing.

"Greetings!" he said, his friendly tone made Lindriel feel at ease. "Welcome to our fair city, Lord Lindhren, the king has sent me to greet you and apologize for not being able to do so himself. I am Elrond Eärendilion, ward of the king."

"The king does me a great honor to send the son of the noble Eärendil to welcome us, Lord Elrond," Lindhren said exchanging polite bows with the young elf.

"The honor is ours, to have someone as esteemed as yourself joining the court," Elrond replied. "I hope your journey was not an unpleasant one, I assure you that I am at your complete disposal, I will see to your absolute comfort."

"Many thanks to you," Lindhren said as Irien pulled their daughter from the saddle and placed her on the ground, still sucking on her lolly.

Lindriel pressed herself close to her mother, her free hand grabbed hers and squeezed it tightly. Her large grey eyes never left the elf lord, whom she stared at with reverence. She knew all about the voyage of Eärendil, for she had read the tale many, many times. To be in the presence of such an esteemed elf like his son made her feel small and insignificant.

However, she did not escape Elrond's attention for long. After he greeted her mother his twinkling grey eyes fell upon her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Lindriel," he said. "I see you have already discovered some of the sweets that our city has to offer. You must have the strawberry taffy next; it is my favored treat."

His friendly smile and wink put her at ease. She liked him instantly.

"Suiauthon got this for me," she said around the lolly. "I don't know what taffy is."

"Well, we shall have to remedy that," Elrond replied. "I shall procure you some in no time."

Lindriel smiled and thought she might like it in Aearellond very much when another figure appeared in the doorway. He swiftly descended the stairwell; his midnight blue robes billowed about him as he quickly strode up to their little group. Lindriel sank into her mother's cloak as the biggest elf she had ever seen came to stand beside Elrond and extended his hand to greet her father.

"Well met, Lord Lindhren!" the elf said, his voice was strong and smooth. "I wasn't expecting you so soon, I thought I would be unable to greet you in person, but I have managed to pull myself away from matters of state just in time!"

Both her parents bowed low at the sight of this elf, whose stature and strong physique alone warranted such reverence. Despite the striking color of his outer robe, his attire was simply constructed with little embellishment, his dark hair was constrained by a single braid, and he wore no ornamentation on his brow. However, he needed no royal adornments to denote who he was; his noble countenance distinguished him as Gil-galad, King of Lindon and High King of the Noldor.

Lindriel herself thought of the illustrations of King Fingolfin from her books when she peered up at the King. They had shown him with high cheekbones, square jaw, and blue-grey eyes similar to King Gil-galad's. She did not know whether he resembled King Fingon; those pictures always portrayed him in a face obscuring helm.

He seemed good natured enough; he greeted her parents warmly and thanked Suiauthon in earnest for bringing them here. But now she felt smaller than ever before and sunk deeper into her mother's side. Perhaps if she were lucky, she would escape notice. He was very tall after all, and her mother's cloak helped conceal her.

They conversed for several long minutes, and when Elrond finally suggested that they must be exhausted and wished to see their new home, Lindriel thought she was home free.

"Indeed!" the king laughed. "Forgive me, I do not wish to keep you here all day and night with my prattle, we have done our best to procure you a home which we hope will be to your liking. It has quite a stunning view of the sea."

Intrigued by this, Lindriel poked her head from her mother's cloak and peeked up at the king.

"Who is this?" Gil-galad asked, pleasantly bemused when he saw the dark head pop into view.

"My daughter, Lindriel," Irien said as the king knelt before her.

"Hello there, Lindriel," he said with a smile. "What are you doing hiding in there? Come out, I would very much like to meet you."

His voice was comforting, reassuring even, but Lindriel, suddenly overcome with fear, fled behind her mother.

"Lindriel!" her mother startled, making Lindriel's cheeks flush red hot. She knew it was wrong to behave in such a way, especially when the king was being so nice. She was rude and immediately felt ashamed. She didn't think a scolding from her parents would make her feel any worse.

The king however, released a cheerful laugh that made her face burn all the brighter.

"I suppose this has all been too much for you, huh?" Gil-galad mused as he stood. "I daresay this is overwhelming for all of you. Come now, let us show you to your new home. When you have settled in, you will be my welcomed dinner guests."

Though Lindriel was delighted at the prospect, especially since she would perhaps meet the princess, she dreaded having to face the king again.


	2. A New Friend

**A New Friend**

Her family had scarcely entered their new home when Lindriel stumbled from weariness, exhausted from their journey. Her father's voice mingled with that of the king and Elrond as her mother scooped her up, carried her into a room, and laid her upon a soft bed. She was already deep in reverie when her head hit the pillow.

Lindriel awoke some time later, finding all was quiet in her new home. She lifted her head from the pillow and glanced around the room, which was far bigger than the one she had. It seemed almost too big. The wooden floor was barren, as was the recess bookshelf beside her alcove bed. She had no furniture, no toys, all she had was a closet and floor to ceiling windows with thick shutters.

She slipped out of the bed and pattered across the expansive floor to pry open one of the shutters, which was thankfully unlatched. Sunlight poured into the room and she found a small balcony with a sweeping view of the city and sea before her.

She let loose an enthusiastic squeal and scurried out. Lindriel stood on her tiptoes with her hands grasped tightly around the balusters, observing all that she could. Their new dwelling lay on the left side of the palace, far above the market and the harbor below. It was high enough that she could see miles out to sea.

"Did you sleep well, Tithenaew?" her mother said to her when she swept into the room, having changed into a clean silver gown.

"Look! Naneth look!" Lindriel answered, far too excited by the view.

"I see," Irien laughed as she opened the other shutters and knelt beside her daughter, pulling her close. "We shall all be very happy here; do you not think so?"

"Uh huh," Lindriel nodded. "Where is ada? He should come and see too!"

"He has gone back to the palace with King Gil-galad and Lord Elrond," Irien said. "But he should be back in a couple of hours, we are going to have dinner with the king and his family this evening."

Lindriel had all but forgotten about her embarrassing behavior until that moment, but she was determined to never behave that way again, especially if the princess was there.

Irien brushed her fingers through Lindriel's hair and gave a wily smile. "Since we have some time to ourselves, how about we journey down to the beach and see if we might find you a playmate before your father returns?"

"Really?" Lindriel jumped. "We can go to the beach?"

"Yes," her mother nodded. "Come, let us get you changed."

Lindriel allowed herself to be led away from the balcony and back into her room where her mother had placed some of her clothing in the closet. She was swiftly changed into a violet tunic and cropped leggings, and she managed to stay still long enough for her mother to braid her hair. Once it was tied off, Lindriel grabbed her mother's hand and led her outside.

"This way Tithenaew, you can come down this road every day," her mother said as she led her down a sloping pathway that bypassed the major thoroughfares and markets. It was lined with trees that shaded their route and cut across the field of long grass.

They hadn't bothered to put on their shoes and when Lindriel's feet touched the sandy beach her toes flexed at the new grainy sensation. She let go of her mother's hand and ran headlong to the water, skidding to a halt before the incoming wave. She watched the water foam and bubble as it stretched across the sand before quickly receding. She shrieked in delight when a stronger wave rushed over her feet and splattered her clothes.

After standing in the water for a few moments Lindriel turned her attention to the seashore. She could see the harbor off in the distance to her left and the expansive shore on the other. However, the beach was nearly deserted, and she saw no one close to her own age.

"I don't think there is anyone to play with," Lindriel said when her mother came to stand beside her in the surf.

"That does not mean we cannot explore," Irien said. "Come, let us walk awhile."

Lindriel took her mother's hand and walked along the shore for a while, though there was nothing of interest. The beach stretched for miles in the distance, as did the long grass and craggy cliffs beside it. There were no boats on the water, no shells in the sand. The elves they passed where on a stroll like themselves and did not have elflings with them.

Lindriel's heart sank when her mother started a conversation with a passing couple, whom she seemed to have been acquainted with. While they chatted Lindriel decided to pick some of the pretty flowers she saw in the grass. Her mother didn't seem to notice her slip away, but Lindriel made sure she didn't go too far. It would keep her occupied, and her thoughts away from the disappointment she felt over not finding a playmate.

_What if she never found one?_

She pushed the horrid thought from her mind as she gathered the white, pink, blue, and purple flowers, making sure she picked only the prettiest ones.

_Maybe they just don't come on the beach this time of day, after all, there's no boats on the water either. _

Despite her reassuring thoughts, she sniffled and felt a tear fall from her eye. Lindriel wiped the others away and continued to pluck her flowers as her lip trembled. She had yet to decide if she would keep the bouquet for herself or give it to her mother. Her room was awfully bare, but her mother would no doubt put it someplace where they all could enjoy it. The thought almost cheered her up.

As she stooped to pick another purple flower, she heard rustling in the grass. Lindriel looked up, startled to find a pair of blue-grey eyes staring back at her and shrieked in surprise. She jerked backwards and fell onto the ground. Her bouquet fell from her hand and scattered.

When she looked up, she saw an elfling with braided white hair leaning over her, dressed in a simple blue tunic and cropped leggings. This elfling also appeared to be the same age as her, judging from their similar height. Her heart raced in excitement when the elfling smiled and held out her hand, giggling and speaking the twinkling language of the Falathrim.

Lindriel felt her heart bottom out as the elfling helped her up. She finally found someone who was her age, but couldn't understand anything she said. The elfling seemed to know something was amiss when Lindriel didn't respond and cocked her head to the side. Her white eyebrows raised and furrowed when tears of frustration dripped down Lindriel's face.

She said something again and began to look at her up and down, her face contorted in concern.

"I don't know what you're saying!" Lindriel sniffed and wiped her nose, looking down at her strewn flowers.

"Oh!" the elfling startled and blinked. "You don't know Falathren?"

"No," Lindriel replied, now hopeful when the elf spoke Sindarin. She appeared friendly and Lindriel desperately hoped this elf would be her new playmate. "I just got here, I've only ever been taught Sindarin and Quenya."

"Oh! I should have known better since I didn't recognize you, I'm sorry. I saw you and thought I'd come to say hello. You're not hurt, are you? I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, I'm fine," Lindriel said, already feeling better. "Who are you?"

"I'm Erie!" the elfling said. "It's nice to meet you! Are you just visiting?"

"No, my family just moved here from the Blue Mountains," Lindriel said.

"Really? That's great! You'll love it here, Aearellond is the best place to live!"

Lindriel had already begun to have her doubts, since she hadn't seen many of the things that her mother promised she would. Did this elfling know something that she didn't?

"But why don't I see any ships on the water or shells on the beach?" Lindriel asked, looking over her shoulder at the water and sand. "My naneth said I'd see a lot of them."

"The ships are out in the early morning and late evening this time of year because those are the best times to fish," Erie said with a smile. "You won't find any shells now cause the tide is high, once it goes back down the beach will be covered in them!"

"Oh," Lindriel said, wondering how much else she didn't know about what she had been told. "Um, why are you the only one out here? I saw a lot of other elflings when I arrived here, don't they come down to the beach often?"

"Of course, they do! Its midday is all, everyone usually naps at this time," Erie said. "After supper is when everyone comes back out, they'll be lots of people to play with then."

Lindriel smiled at that.

"You never told me your name," Erie said.

"Sorry, I'm Lindriel, it's very nice to meet you Erie," she said.

"I made you drop your flowers," Erie said as she stooped to pick them up, quickly gathering them and handing them to Lindriel. "Here you are!"

"Thank you," she said.

"How big are you going to make it?"

Lindriel shrugged. "I think I want to give it to my naneth, so I do want it to be bigger."

"Can I help?" Lindriel's heart leapt and she nodded without hesitation.

"Of course!"

Erie smiled and started picking flowers. She pointed out the unfamiliar ones to Lindriel, the rock roses, sea thrift, sweet peas, and others, which they gathered into an enormous bouquet.

"Vervain can be used as an astringent," Erie said as she and Lindriel arranged the flowers. "And this one, nasturtium can treat infections."

"Where'd you learn that?" Lindriel said as she tied a piece of grass around the flowers to hold them together.

"My naneth," Erie answered. "She's a healer. She knows a lot about plants and how they can be used to treat all kinds of things."

"Do you want to be a healer too? You seem to know a lot," Lindriel asked, but Erie shook her head.

"No, I'd much rather be a warrior like my ada," she said. "He's really strong and I've never seen him lose a fencing match. My agi was strong too, he fought in all kinds of battles."

"My ada is an advisor," Lindriel said, but thought that it paled in comparison. Having adventures and fighting in great battles sounded a lot more impressive than sitting in a library or stateroom all the time.

"Do you want to go my house and play? It's going to start raining soon, I've got plenty of games we can play!"

"I'll have to see if it's okay with my naneth," Lindriel said, but looked up at the clear blue sky skeptically. She had never been invited to play at someone's home before, but was excited at the prospect.

"Lindriel!" her head snapped round when she heard her mother's voice. She was making her way towards the grass, the couple she had been speaking with were now walking away. "What is this?" she smiled when she saw the bouquet of flowers.

"We made it for you!" Lindriel said with pride, handing it to her mother. "Naneth, this is Erie, can I go to her house and play? She says it's going to start raining."

"Well hello, Erie," Irien said as she knelt and took the flowers. "I was just coming to tell you that very same thing, the storms along the sea come up fast don't they?"

"Uh huh," Erie nodded. "I live just up on the cliffs there," she pointed to a location that was opposite of Lindriel's new home. "No one else lives around my house, so it will be easy to find us."

"That lone point there," Irien said, looking intently at the carved windows and balconies set apart from the rest of the structures. She then turned to Erie; her brow furrowed.

Lindriel thought for sure her mother would say no from the look on her face, but Irien suddenly smiled and nodded. "You may go, but only for a little while. You will need to change before dinner."

"Thank you Naneth!" Lindriel jumped and latched onto her mother's neck, giving her the biggest hug she had ever given her.

"Just make sure to behave yourself, remember your manners, and don't go anywhere else. I'll come collect you in a few hours," Irien said as she returned her hug. "Now, run along."

"Thank you so much naneth!" Lindriel said and latched onto Erie's hand.

"It was very nice to meet you!" the white-haired elfling waved and they took off towards the path that led back to the city.


	3. A New Friend (cont)

**A New Friend (cont.)**

They followed the same shaded, cobbled road that Lindriel and her mother had taken, passing by elves who greeted Erie when they saw her. Erie led her through an arched gate and along a narrow pathway that led further up the cliffside, away from the thoroughfares and other dwellings. They climbed a long set of white stairs that opened onto a terrace of white and blue stone with flowering pink trees.

To Lindriel's surprise, two armored guards stood by a shorter stairwell that led to an open doorway. One had gold hair pulled back in a single braid while the other had black hair flowing down his back. They were conversing with one another, the black-haired one sat on the steps while the other stood with his arms folded, but they stopped when they saw them approach. Lindriel gripped Erie's hand tighter, unsure of what to make of them, but they broke into wide smiles.

"You weren't gone long," the black-haired one remarked, his grey eyes twinkling.

"Thorontur! Idhrenaethor! I made a new friend!" Erie said as she pulled Lindriel forward. "Her name is Lindriel!"

"Greetings, little one," the golden one, Thorontur said while the dark one inclined his head.

"You'd best get inside," Idhrenaethor said. "The rain will upon us soon, and your mother would not want you to get wet."

"Okay! Come on Lindriel, my room's this way!" she led her towards the doorway while Lindriel waved and stammered a quick 'bye' to the two guards.

They went inside and Lindriel was first and foremost impressed by the expansive view of the sea. Every window faced away from the city, so there was nothing to obstruct it. Even within the house there were no walls to block the view; wherever she looked she saw infinite blue waters.

Erie's home was also bright and cozy with exposed rafter beams, dark wood floors, and plush furniture with lots of cushions. Purple hydrangeas stood in crystal vases, strange bejeweled trinkets sat on shelves, and several swords and shields were displayed prominently over fireplaces and on the walls.

They pattered up a stairwell and down an exposed corridor before they came into a room bursting with color. Multiple suncatchers hung from the arched doorways leading to a wide balcony, creating a living rainbow. Lindriel stared in fascination at the colorful glass and crystal ornaments shaped like fish and stars before her eyes followed the dancing colors across the room.

Erie's room was very similar to Lindriel's in size, and it also had an alcove bed and recessed bookshelf like hers. However, Erie's bed was covered in a pale blue quilt with lavender and sea green pillows, and her bookshelf didn't have many books. Instead, there were large seashells, uncut crystals, and several bejeweled boxes with tiny figures inside.

"What are those?" Lindriel asked as she wandered over in curiosity.

"What? My music boxes?" Erie said as she went and took one off the shelf. "My cousin got me this one, they're made by the dwarves in Hadhodrond, look."

She held it out so Lindriel could further examine the little gold box with two tiny figures of dwarves with hammers, standing on either side of an anvil. Lindriel watched as Erie turned a key that protruded from the back and heard a twinkling tune begin to play. The figures began to strike the anvil in time with the music.

"That's amazing!" Lindriel smiled as she watched the little dwarves until the music stopped.

"The dwarves make all kinds of interesting toys from what I've been told," Erie said as she replaced the box on the shelf. "What do you want to play? I've got all kinds of games in my toybox."

Erie scampered over to a chest that sat below three mounted kites and opened it. Lindriel followed and peered into it, finding boxed board games, a ball, pail and shovel, and several dolls. Some of the toys were clearly not Elven made, she noted with some curiosity.

"Do you have the goose game?" Lindriel asked, and Erie nodded.

She pulled out one of the boxes and sat it down on the soft rug covering her floor. Lindriel helped her set up the game, and Erie let her have first pick of color and even let her go first. A few minutes into the game a cold blast of air shot through the window and a loud crack of thunder sounded in the distance. Lindriel looked out to see torrents of rain begin to fall.

"These storms do develop quick," Lindriel said, her brows raised high in astonishment. "I didn't believe you at first when you said it would rain. The sky was so clear."

"This time of year is the worst," Erie griped. "It's not supposed to keep raining though, or at least that is what my naneth and ada said this morning."

Lindriel picked up the dice and tossed it onto the board. As she moved her yellow goose, narrowly missing the well, she decided to ask a question that had been on her mind.

"Erie, why are there guards outside your house?"

"So no one can bother ada," Erie said as she rolled the dice then moved her blue goose. "People will sometimes try to ask him questions or talk to him. He doesn't like it cause when he's home, he just wants to spend time with my naneth and me. Your turn."

More questions formed in Lindriel's mind, but she didn't want to bombard her new friend with them. She didn't want to appear nosey. Erie said her ada was a warrior, and the weapons displayed on the walls were evidence of that. Was he somebody famous? Her father said that there were a lot of famous warriors from Hithlum and even a few from Gondolin who lived in the city. Maybe he was one of those.

They finished playing the game and started on another since the rain had yet to cease. Erie was staring intently at the board with a checker piece in hand when someone called her name. Her ears perked up, and both she and Lindriel turned to see a slender elf with white hair enter the room. She possessed a pale delicate beauty and soft features, and wore a linen pinafore over her blush colored dress.

"There you are!" she said and immediately noticed Lindriel. "Who is this you've brought with you?"

"Naneth! This is Lindriel, she just got here," Erie said as she jumped up to hug her. "I found her all alone on the beach."

"You did?" she knelt and smoothed out Erie's tunic. "I suppose this was when you were supposed to be resting?"

Erie dropped her head and became sheepish, rocking on her heels and refusing to look her mother in the eye. The corners of her naneth's mouth dipped in disapproval, but there was a sparkle in her eye that made Lindriel think she was amused rather than upset. Her frown vanished when she looked at Lindriel.

"It's very nice to meet you Lindriel, I'm Sílaedhel," she said with a gentle smile.

"Hello," Lindriel waved, thinking to herself that she had never seen someone with such bright blue eyes like hers.

"Erie," Sílaedhel turned back to her daughter. "I need you to go tell your ada that he needs to come home so he can be ready in time for dinner."

"Okay!" A bright smile spread across Erie's face.

"Lindriel, would you mind going with her? If you two bring him back I will give you a surprise," she said.

Lindriel jumped up, excited about helping her friend and receiving another treat. She grabbed hold of Erie's hand and they both started out of the room.

"We'll bring ada back, Naneth!" Erie said as they hurried down the hall.

"Won't we get wet?" Lindriel asked.

"No, we'll go this way," she said as she led her down a different set of curving stairs.

They ran down a long-enclosed corridor covered by a patterned rug and illuminated by blue lamps. A set of double doors lay at the end which Erie tugged at, but it swung open with the aid of an armored hand from the other side.

"Hello Erie," a young, silver-haired guard smiled as she and Erie went through the door.

"Hello Ithilwen," Erie replied. "Have you seen ada?"

"No, not since this morning," she said.

Erie frowned, but Lindriel's ears twitched when she heard many voices talking far away. They were in a large hall with a decorative ceiling and ornate columns, and there were entryways that led to other corridors. Erie thanked the guard and they walked off down the hall.

"We're not supposed to run in here," Erie said as the voices became louder and one side of the corridor gave way.

Beside them was a balustrade of vine-like columns flecked with gold that circled a rotunda of white stone. Erie led her closer to the railing where they could peer through the balusters, and Lindriel felt her heart skip a beat when she looked out over the enormous room.

The ceiling was blue and inlaid with countless tiny gems which sparkled when the light from the crystal chandeliers hit them. The floor was a mosaic of blue, white, and gold stone, and everywhere she looked there were elves in regal robes and polished armor. They all looked like the kings, queens, and heroes from her books, and she shrank against the balusters when she felt a trickle of fear run down her spine.

Should they have been there? They were just small elflings in play clothes and barefoot, surely someone would come along and tell them to leave.

"Who are those people?" Lindriel asked.

"Mostly lords and advisors," Erie sniffed. "They only ever talk about boring things though."

"What about the princess, is she down there?" Lindriel asked, which made Erie raise an eyebrow. "My ada says there's a princess here."

"Really?" Erie beamed and Lindriel nodded. "The ones I've met are always nice."

Lindriel smiled and looked back down at the crowd. Erie seemed to know a lot of things, and what she said reassured Lindriel. If she said princesses were nice, then Princess Ereiniel must be nice too. Hopefully she wasn't as tall as the king.

"I don't see my ada," Erie said as she slumped against the balusters, her forehead pressed against the railing.

Lindriel bit her lip and scanned the room, wondering how Erie could have picked her ada out from the multitude gathered below. Surprisingly, she almost had to bite her tongue when she laid eyes on someone she recognized.

"There's my ada!" Lindriel jumped and pointed to Lindhren standing with a small group of elves.

"Which one?" Erie asked.

"He's the one in green, I think he's standing with Lord Elrond there," Lindriel said, recognizing the young elf lord still garbed in red.

"Let's go see him!" Erie smiled and pulled Lindriel towards a sweeping staircase before she could protest.

"Won't we get in trouble?" she said, her heart racing as they descended into the magnificent throng and made their way towards her father.

"Of course not," Erie replied. "My naneth said we needed to find my ada, and that's what we're doing."

Still, Lindriel shrank behind her friend, even when some of the elves noticed them and greeted them with friendly smiles. They walked up to the small group consisting of Lindhren, Lord Elrond, and a white-haired elf that Lindriel didn't know.

"Well, look who it is," Elrond's eyebrows shot up in amusement when he saw the two of them.

"Hello Elrond, hello Galdor," Erie said. "We were looking for ada, but Lindriel saw her ada and we thought we'd come say hello."

"Lindriel!" Lindhren startled when he saw her poke her head out from behind Erie.

She thought she'd be scolded for being there, but her ada smiled and held out his arms. Without a second thought she ran into them and hugged him tight. He picked her up and she settled against his soft robes, relieved that he wasn't the least bit angry with her.

"You have already had the pleasure Lord Elrond, but you, Lord Galdor, have not met my daughter Lindriel," Lindhren smiled.

"Greetings," Galdor smiled, inclining his head.

"Now where did you two happen to meet?" Elrond said to Erie, one eyebrow remained high on his forehead. "It's just now time for your nap to be over, if I'm not mistaken. You didn't go down to beach again, did you?"

Unlike with her mother, Erie furrowed her brow and huffed. "I wasn't tired."

"You never are," Elrond replied while Galdor chuckled.

"You were down at the beach, Tithenaew?" Lindhren asked, turning his attention to Lindriel.

"Naneth took me," she said. "Then I met Erie and she invited me to her house to play since it was going to start raining. Naneth is supposed to come get me in a little while."

"I see," Lindhren nodded.

"My naneth sent us to find my ada," Erie said. "She said it's time for him to come home."

"He was speaking with Lord Gildor who brought news from Eregion," Elrond said. "They were still in one of the council rooms, he should be along any—"

He didn't get to finish. A boisterous laugh caused them all to turn their heads and Erie squealed in delight when she saw who it was. Lindriel watched as Erie took off, giggling as she ran headlong into the open arms of King Gil-galad. Lindriel watched —stunned— as the King swung Erie around before settling her on his hip.

"Look!" Erie smiled as the King carried her back to the group. "I made a new friend!"

"You did?" Gil-galad said, then saw Lindriel in her father's arms. "I see, it took you no time to make friends."

He was addressing Lindriel, who gripped her ada's robes tightly in her hands. This time, however, she nodded and managed to smile. She didn't feel insignificant in her ada's arms and Erie's presence made the King less intimidating.

"Lord Lindhren, I have had the pleasure of being introduced to your daughter, but I do not think you have met mine. This," Gil-galad said with pride as he hoisted Erie higher on his hip, "is my Ereiniel."

Realization hit Lindriel like a thunderclap. Erie was the princess all along! She had expected a tall, regal elf with black or gold hair, not a little sea elfling in play clothes. It all made sense though, and she wondered why she hadn't figured it out sooner; the guards, her unusual toys. Lindriel now wondered if her mother let her go play because she knew who Erie was.

"Everyone calls me Erie though," she said.

"Bit of a pet name that stuck," Gil-galad explained to Lindhren and Lindriel. "It suits her for the moment, Ereiniel is something she can grow into."

Lindriel thought she heard Elrond grumble something about Ui-Teilieth being a more suitable name.

"Let me guess, your naneth sent you to come get me," Gil-galad said and Erie nodded. "Well, let us not keep her waiting, you and I will have to change for our guests!"

"What guests?" Erie asked.

"Lord Lindhren and his family are joining us for dinner," he replied, which made Erie giddy with excitement.

"Lindriel's going to come for dinner!" she said, smiling at Lindriel. "I'm so excited!"

"We had best get home and change as well, Tithenaew," Lindhren said.

"Don't feel like you have to get dressed up for our sake," Gil-galad said. "There's no sense when it's just a private dinner, you've only just arrived and we're very informal anyway."

"Ada and Elrond are often covered in ink when they sit down at the table," Erie giggled, proving her ada's point. "Naneth says they look like they got into a fight with an octopus!"

The King's mouth fell open as if he were affronted, then playfully jostled Erie on his hip.

"And _someone_ is often dripping wet and covered in sand," Gil-galad shot as Erie laughed. "I mistake her for a sea urchin that I must have forgotten I invited to dinner."

Lindriel didn't know what a sea urchin was, but the mental images made her giggle anyway. Now she was really looking forward to dinner, since she knew Erie would be there.

"I shall see you in a short while," the King said as he inclined his head towards Lindhren and the rest of the group, who bowed in response. "Come Gaearorch, we must now make sure we look presentable at dinner, we must not let these good people think we are heathens that have crawled from the brackish mud."

Gil-galad hoisted Erie onto his shoulders and walked off, yet Erie turned and waved.

"Bye Lindriel! I'll see you later!"

"Bye Erie!" Lindriel waved back before they disappeared into the crowd.

Her ada then excused himself from Elrond and Galdor's company before he carried her out of the grand hall. They walked through several wide corridors of magnificently carved stone with gilded pillars, crystal lamps, and heraldic tapestries. Lindriel couldn't help but marvel at everything she saw, and wondered why Erie's family didn't live within these halls. The thought swirled in her head when they emerged outside to find the rain had stopped.

"So, what do you make of the king's daughter?" Lindhren asked as he continued to carry her home.

"She's really nice," Lindriel said, and recounted how Erie had helped her on the beach and was very considerate when they played in her room.

"She does seem very nice," Lindhren said and noticed her expression change from wide-eyed buoyancy to tight-lipped consideration. "What is it Tithenaew?"

"Ada, since Erie is a princess, do you think I should treat her differently than from what I have?"

Lindhren knitted his brow and considered the question. He had been in the service of nobility for several millennia and from his experience it was best to hold some measure of decorum, no matter how close personal relationships became. However, this concerned two elfling girls, there were many other things to consider.

"She didn't mind how you behaved, did she?" he asked. "Nor her mother?"

"No," Lindriel answered.

"Then no, you should not treat her any differently," Lindhren said.

"I won't then," Lindriel said as their house came into view.

It was built into the rock, with a courtyard filled with white hydrangeas and small trees. She saw her mother descending the front stairwell and walking towards them, a smile on her face.

"I was just on my way to come get you Tithenaew, did you have fun?" she asked.

"Naneth!" Lindriel waved. "I can't wait to tell you all about my new friend!"

* * *

Tithenaew - "Little bird"

Ui-Teilieth - "Always playful"

Gaerorch - "Sea urchin/orc"


	4. A New Friend PtII

**A New Friend Pt. II**

Lindriel didn't feel her feet touch the ground as she led her parents through the tree-shaded streets. She was elated that she would see Erie again and skipped all the way to the king's house, kicking up her ivory skirts as she went.

Though Gil-galad had told them not to worry about dressing up, her mother had put Lindriel in the best clothes she had brought in their saddlebags. She also combed all the tangles from Lindriel's hair and made sure every braid was perfect, much to the elfling's chagrin. Yet her mother had been equally meticulous with her own appearance.

She had arrayed herself in a gown of pale gold and placed diamond-tipped pins in her elaborately braided hair. Her father had chosen a burgundy robe to wear over a long tunic of dove grey, and a simple gold circlet adorned his brow. Their fine clothes coupled with their good looks —her mother's delicate frame and features, and her father's sculpted face and fluid grace— made Lindriel think no one had better looking parents than she.

"Hurry ada, naneth!" Lindriel urged when they reached the courtyard in front of the king's house.

The two guards from earlier were still there, however, they both now stood at attention beside the stairs that led to the door. Lindriel's pace slowed, but she was no longer apprehensive of them.

"Hello Thorontur, hello Idhrenaethor," Lindriel said with a small wave.

"Hello again, Lady Lindriel," Thorontur said, inclining his head.

"You look rather lovely this evening," Idhrenaethor said, making Lindriel blush.

Her parents approached, walking arm in arm, and the two guards bowed low. Lindhren and Irien responded in polite and exchanged greetings.

"My Lord Gil-galad is awaiting you inside," Idhrenaethor said.

Lindhren thanked them before they ascended the stairwell, Lindriel still leading the way. She barely breached the threshold when someone shouted at her from on high.

"Lindriel!" Erie cried, sitting on the balcony beside the main stairwell, her legs dangling between the balusters.

"Hello Erie!" Lindriel waved as Erie jumped up and bounded down the stairs.

Her white hair bounced around her shoulders; it was loose save for a single braid that stretched across the crown of her head. She wore a simple, short-sleeved dress of turquoise blue, and a string of tiny pearls adorned her wrist. Erie's simplicity made Lindriel feel a little embarrassed by her elaborate hairstyle of tiny braids and ivory dress embroidered with gold flowers.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Erie said when she reached the bottom of the stairs and skipped up to her. "Ada and naneth have so much food waiting for us outside! I think there's blueberry tarts too!"

Lindriel smiled, delighted that Erie was as thrilled to see her as well. That and she didn't seem to care one bit about how she was dressed.

"Yes indeed, your naneth had the palace kitchen staff whip up a feast!" Gil-galad said as he glided into the entryway, dressed in a long tunic of midnight blue. "Well met again, Lord Lindhren, Lady Irien."

"Thank you for inviting us into your home," Lindhren said as he bowed. "We greatly appreciate your hospitality."

"It is the least we can do," Gil-galad said. "Besides, you and I will be working closely together, it's best to get to know one another in more amiable surroundings." The king then turned his attention to Lindriel. "How are you this evening, Lady Lindriel? Erie said you two had a lot of fun."

"I'm well, thank you," Lindriel said, using the proper tone her mother taught her. "And yes, Erie and I had a lot of fun," she and Erie exchanged a grin.

"Um—" she started, and interlocked her fingers before she twisted them nervously. "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier, it was rude of me to not speak to you," Lindriel said in a small voice, her cheeks flushing red.

"Thank you for apologizing, but I was not offended," Gil-galad said as he knelt before her. He knew from experience that little elflings were much more comfortable when someone spoke to them on their level. "You were tired and scared, and that it understandable. I'll tell you something though," his voice dropped low and he leaned closer to her.

Lindriel likewise leaned into the king, for it seemed like he was going to tell her an important secret.

"Erie here was once introduced to several dwarves from the Blue Mountains, and she was so frightened of them that she ran all the way back home and hid under mine and her naneth's bed."

Lindriel giggled as the king winked at her, and she saw Erie's ears turn pink with embarrassment.

"I was _three_," Erie said with a huff, folding her arms. "I'm not scared of them now."

"That's because you learned there was nothing to be scared of," Gil-galad said in a gentle tone. "They were there to bring you a gift from their princess. You know there is no one and nothing here that will ever harm any of you."

"Like orcs or trolls!" Erie said, her face lighting up with excitement. "You'd fight them off, just like agi Fingon did during The Dagor Aglareb where you said he beheaded one-hundred orcs!"

"Shh," Gil-galad pressed a finger to his lips and winced. "Not so loud, you know your naneth doesn't like me to tell you those kinds of stories."

Erie gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth. She looked in the direction of a terrace, her eyes wide with fear. Lindriel and her family tensed as they waited with abated breath, but Erie's mother didn't seem to have heard them. After a few moments they all relaxed, and Erie's hands fell from her mouth.

"Well, come my friends," Gil-galad said after releasing a sigh of relief. "You must be famished, allow me to lead you to our dining room."

"Come on, Lindriel!" Erie said as she grabbed her friend's hand. "It's out this way!"

They scampered ahead of Gil-galad and Lindriel's parents, and out onto a wide terrace where the surrounding balustrade was covered in climbing roses. A large table laden with food sat under a sun sail, and Sílaedhel and Elrond were there arranging the last of the cutlery.

"You have to sit by me!" Erie said as she led Lindriel to two chairs with thick cushions.

"Now hold on, let me help you," Sílaedhel said when Erie tried to pull the heavy chair out by herself.

Sílaedhel was in a short-sleeved, lilac colored dress unlike any Lindriel had seen before. It was made up of layers of chiffon and lace, and there was a slit that went up to her knee. Because she had never seen someone wear something so light and revealing in the Blue Mountains, Lindriel thought it was indecent.

As her mother helped Erie into one of the chairs, Elrond came and scooted out the chair intended for Lindriel. He too was dressed down in a cream-colored tunic with the top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. He now wore sandals instead of soft boots.

"Allow me to assist you, Lady Lindriel," he said as he sat her down in the chair and pushed it up to the table. "I hope you're hungry!"

Lindriel nodded as her eyes wandered over the banquet laid out before her. There was fish, biscuits, and an assortment of roasted vegetables. Yet there were strange c-shaped fish that smelled of butter and lemon, fluffy herb coated meats partially contained in red shells, and the sharply pointed legs of an animal piled high on one of the platters. Some of them had large claws, she noted with a degree of fear.

Gil-galad introduced her parents to Sílaedhel before they were beckoned to sit down. Irien commented on how lovely she thought Sílaedhel's dress was, making Lindriel amend her thoughts. They then took their places at the table, Gil-galad and Lindhren sat at each end, with Irien and Elrond on one side, Sílaedhel and the elflings on the other.

"Now what would you all like to start with?" Sílaedhel asked the two elflings after they all sat down.

"Is that chowder?" Erie asked, pointing to the covered pot sitting on the table and her mother nodded. "I want some of that!"

"Lindriel, would you like some?" Sílaedhel asked after serving Erie some in an appetizer dish.

Lindriel wrinkled her nose as she peered into Erie's bowl. She recognized carrots, potatoes, and celery, but there was pink and white meat that was unfamiliar.

"It's not as good as Círdan's," Erie said as she licked her spoon. "But it's still good."

"I'll try some then," Lindriel said, and cautiously dipped her spoon into the creamy concoction when it was placed before her. She took a small sip, but found it to her liking. The next spoonful filled her mouth.

"Tell me about yourself, Lord Lindhren," Gil-galad said as he poured his wife a glass of white wine, then one for himself.

"Well, sire, I've served as diplomat, advisor, and ambassador to—" Lindhren started, placing a biscuit made with cheese on Lindriel's plate.

"No, no, no!" Gil-galad waved, leaning back into his seat. "I know your professional background, but tell me about _you_. Do you have any hobbies? Fishing, or hunting, maybe? Tell me how you met your wife, things of that nature."

"Ah, well," Lindhren lifted his brows as a small smile formed on his face. "I'm not as vivacious as I once was, I don't hunt or fish. I do, however, have an interest in cartography."

Elrond picked up this line of conversation, asking if he also had an interest in surveying. While the grown-ups talked, Sílaedhel and Lindhren would continue to place items on the elflings' plates. Erie would immediately gobble them up while Lindriel would push the most baffling around with her fork.

"Do you not like shrimp?" Erie asked when she saw Lindriel eyeing it warily. "It's really good."

Lindriel gulped and brought one of the smallest to her mouth, sticking out her tongue to taste it. She could only taste the butter and garlic, and took a small bite after seeing Erie gobble down several of them. The texture was different, but the taste wasn't bad. With Erie's encouragement she tasted all kinds of new foods, liking the crab cakes, lobster, halibut most of all. She didn't like the seaweed salad and refused to eat the raw oysters.

"We did meet in Mithrim," Irien was saying when dinner was winding down. "But we never got to know each other until we both came to the Havens in Sirion. He was a well-respected advisor and I was a weaver, then a nurse, daughter to a captain in King Fingolfin's guard. Our social and professional circles had never intersected before."

"You were also on Balar with us," the king said as he cracked open a crab leg. Everyone else had ate their share, yet Gil-galad and Erie seemed determined to not let anything go to waste. "It is a shame I did not meet you then."

"There were many who were displaced and there was incredible confusion during that time," Lindhren said. "I was more concerned about finding survivors from Hithlum and trying to make an account of everyone who was there."

Gil-galad nodded, his gaze fixed upon his plate as he chewed slowly. The rest of the table fell silent, the sound of the evening breeze through the sail overhead was all that disturbed the quiet. The memories of that wretched time on the Isle of Balar were still painful, even years later.

"I do recall the excited gossip about your marriage though," Lindhren said with a sudden smile, tactfully changing the subject.

Gil-galad laughed loudly and leaned back in his seat, crossing his legs. "That is the one thing I hear most people complain about; I have done nothing that has won as much ire with my people than when I denied them a royal wedding!"

"It certainly saved me the embarrassment," Sílaedhel said as she toyed with the stem of her wine glass. "I would still prefer that medic tent with my sister and Círdan as the only witnesses to this day, yet everyone forgets that we saved them from the hassle of trying to figure out who I was."

Lindhren and Irien couldn't help but smile at the off-handed jest. It was true that after news of the king's marriage broke no one had any idea who their new queen was. Her name was unfamiliar to all the survivors of the noble houses from Nargothrond, Gondolin, Doriath, and Hithlum. When it became known that Sílaedhel was a Falathrim healer, with no noble background, there was even more bewilderment and a little resentment. Many thought the new king had married far below his rank.

Regardless, she worked tirelessly to aid the refugees who came to Balar and to Lindon after its foundation. From the infirmaries, supply stores, and the council rooms Lady Sílaedhel had ensured the welfare of others during those times. No one cared that she was not noble born now, she had earned tremendous respect.

"Now, I suddenly remember I made a promise to two little girls earlier this afternoon," she said as she pushed back her chair and rose from the table.

"You did! You did!" Erie grinned as she bounced in her chair, watching her mother walk to a covered dish that sat on a serving table. "You said if we brought ada home you'd give us a surprise!"

"So I did," Sílaedhel said as she uncovered the tray. Her back was turned to the elflings, who couldn't see what she was preparing for them. Lindriel leaned in towards Erie.

"I wonder if it's those blueberry tarts," she whispered.

"Oh, I really hope so!" Erie giggled as her mother came back carrying two serving plates.

It wasn't the anticipated tarts that she sat in front of them.

Lindriel's eyes went wide when a dish of ice cream with lots of fruit and drizzled with strawberry sauce was placed before her. This was far better than anything she dared hoped for, and she shared an excited squeal with Erie before they dug in.

"Does the ada who came home get one as well?" Gil-galad grinned.

* * *

All too soon Lindriel was forced to bid farewell to her friend again, but they promised to meet the following morning in the main square. Erie was going to help her dig for shells and show her the best tidepools where they could swim. Sílaedhel said she would bring them a basket so they could have a picnic on the beach, that way Lindriel's parents could spend the day running errands and getting their house in order.

"Aren't you glad we came here?" Irien asked when they entered their darkened house. "We all had such a wonderful time."

It was close to midnight; they had remained with the king and his family for many hours after they finished dinner. The grown-ups continued to talk and enjoyed some tea while Erie and Lindriel played more games and watched the evening fishermen sail out to sea. Their parents and Elrond even played a card game with them, and after the sun had finally set, they all went down to the beach and enjoyed a long stroll by the starlit waters.

Lindriel was tired, but invigorated as well. She skipped through the barren rooms and hallways lit by a handful of golden lamps to her bedroom. She pushed open the door to find several trunks in the middle of her floor.

"Well, some of our belongings have already arrived!" Irien said when she saw them. "Come, let us get you changed and put some of these away."

Lindriel allowed her mother to quickly pull off her dress and slip a simple one of bright yellow over her head. She didn't give her mother the opportunity to loosen her braids after she buttoned the back. Lindriel rushed over and opened the first trunk, finding her favorite books and toys.

Her mother helped her fill her bookshelves, and they even displayed some of her finer items on them, just like Erie had done. Her mother spread her violet colored blanket on her bed and rolled out her woven rug while Lindriel pushed her toybox against a wall.

They put her clothing away in the closet and her father brought in a floor lamp that illuminated the room far better than the small glass lamps on the walls. Irien encouraged Lindriel to rest before morning while she and Lindhren went through their home and unpacked.

Lindriel decided to open all the shutters to her windows before she clamored up into her bed. It was nice to breathe in the familiar scent of lavender as she settled against her pillows. She looked over her room, finding it not so big and barren any longer. It was warmly lit and now contained all her favorite things.

She still had a lot of space, but she now understood that it was something that she could grow into. She could put a lot of seashells on her bookcase, a pail and shovel in her toybox, and had plenty of room where she and Erie could play.

As Lindriel looked out the windows and saw the silver sailboats gleaming like stars on the water, she gave thanks to Ilúvatar for their safe journey. She also thanked Him for sending her Erie, and prayed for Him to bless everyone she had met thus far. Most of all, she thanked Him for bringing her home.

* * *

Hope you all have enjoyed it so far! I've got more to come, so don't think this is the end. I'd love to see your feedback, what you like, what you don't like, and if there is anything you'd like to see. I'm totally open to suggestions and critiques! Thank you all!


	5. A New Library

**A/N:** Should probably mention that most "chapters" are apart of the same short story. I broke them up so no one would feel overwhelmed while reading, especially since this one is long and tends to digress_ a lot_. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**A New Library**

"Must it always rain?" Lindriel asked as she and Erie sat on a window seat, sharing a meal of honeyed bread, cheese, and fruit.

They had been playing on the beach before Sílaedhel called them in for lunch, and as soon as they stepped inside it had begun to storm. Since she arrived two weeks ago, there had been only four days without rain. At least the constant weather changes allowed her to learn some of the signals, but she didn't think it was going to stop anytime soon.

"It will rain for the rest of the afternoon," Elrond said as he sat on the floor between them and chewed on a piece of buttered bread. "You won't be able to go back outside today."

Lindriel and Erie sighed, the white-haired elfling absentmindedly scratched at the bandage around her hand. The cold wind battered the window, but the fire kept them warm and cozy. The kitchen had a large open fireplace, two work benches, and dried herbs hanging from the ceiling. It was where Erie usually came for her midday meal, and Lindriel had been welcomed to join her each day.

"What do you want to do now?" Erie asked, but Lindriel shrugged.

"We've played just about every game there is," Lindriel said.

"Why don't you stay here, and I'll teach you some things," Elrond said, breaking off a bite of cheese.

"Do you mean healing 'things' or other 'things'?" Erie asked as she warily eyed his high-necked smock, one that all apprentice healers wore.

"Healing things, Erie," he replied with a raised brow. "I'm not teaching you sword fighting."

"I never said _anything_ about sword fighting. Besides, ada said he's going to teach me one day," she replied as she folded her arms and went back to staring out the window.

She was disappointed. Lindriel had seen Erie make offhanded comments then completely disregard something she had shown interest in before. She didn't think Erie wanted anyone to see her upset. Then again, she had never seen Erie mad, or even cry. She didn't even shed a tear when she sliced her hand open when they were digging for shells the other day.

The half-buried, broken shell had easily shredded the palm of her hand. They had both stared wide-eyed as the blood dripped between her fingers before Lindriel grabbed her other hand and ran with her to the infirmary. She was far more upset than Erie had been, and stammered as she tried to explain what happened to the first healer they encountered.

The white-haired elf picked Erie up, who clenched her bloodied fingers tightly, and carried her inside. Lindriel followed him into a white-walled room where he sat Erie on a stiff bed. She had watched from the doorframe as the elf grabbed a bottle from the counter along with a scrap of linen and poured it over her hand. The scent stung Lindriel's nose, but Erie sat completely still, the only outward show of discomfort was her tightly clenched jaw.

"The cut is deep little one, you will need stitches," the soft-spoken elf said after he cleaned her hand and examined it. "Do you want me to get your naneth and let her do it?"

Erie had nodded wordlessly, and the elf turned to leave the room. He encouraged Lindriel to go sit with her before he left, and she immediately clamored up to sit beside her. Erie kept her gaze fixed upon the floor as she clenched the medicated cloth in her hand.

"Does it hurt?" Lindriel asked, unsure of what else to say.

Erie shrugged and wiped her nose. Her face was splotchy and every now and again Lindriel would see her eyes shine with unshed tears. Lindriel grabbed Erie's free hand and held it until Sílaedhel, Elrond, and the white-haired healer came into the room. Erie had tightened her hold on Lindriel's hand.

Yet they were forced to let go when Elrond picked Lindriel up and carried her to the kitchens, while Sílaedhel and the other elf worked on Erie's hand. Lindriel sat in a tall chair as she waited, tapping her heels against the wooden legs.

"You did a great thing by bringing Erie here," Elrond said as he offered her a plate of biscuits. "There are those who would have been too scared to do that."

"She was hurt," Lindriel shrugged as she took one of the offered biscuits. "I just did what my ada and naneth told me to do if I ever got hurt while playing."

"Taking care of yourself and taking care of another person are two completely different things," Elrond said. "Do you understand?"

"I think so," Lindriel said as she chewed. Truth be told she had only done what was instinctive to her. She was sure that if she were hurt Erie would have done the same for her. That's what friends did.

She waited about an hour before Erie came plodding into the kitchen with a white bandage around her hand and Sílaedhel behind her. Erie's face lit up and she ran over to Lindriel when she saw her.

"You're still here!" she said. "I thought for sure you would have left before I could thank you!"

"Of course I waited," Lindriel said as she slipped out of her chair. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Yeah, naneth says I'll be fine," she said, holding her hand out for Lindriel to see.

"Lindriel," Sílaedhel said as she knelt. "I want to thank you for what you did, you are a wonderful friend to Erie."

She hugged her and gave her more biscuits to eat. Afterwards, Sílaedhel walked Lindriel home and told her parents about what had happened. Her father said he was incredibly proud of her, and her mother made her favorite meal that night. Even the king stopped by and thanked her, and gave her a box of candied fruit.

All the praise made her feel like she had done something incredibly special, but she was still perplexed. She had done something that she thought anyone else would do, so why had everyone made a big deal out of it? Lindriel stared at Erie's bandaged hand and wondered.

"Lord Elrond!" All three looked at the grey clad, golden haired nurse that unexpectedly appeared in the doorway. "Lady Sílaedhel is requesting your presence, there's an emergency."

Erie and Lindriel's eyebrows rose as Elrond pushed himself up and rushed through the doorway, following the elf down the corridor. Erie waited a few seconds before she dropped her apple on her plate and scampered off after them.

"Where are you going?" Lindriel called as she clamored off the window seat after her.

"I'm going to go see what the emergency is!" she replied.

Lindriel wasn't sure it was a great idea, but followed Erie down the hallway without another word. She heard groaning as they approached one of the examination rooms, and they slowed their pace til they were tiptoeing up to the door.

They peered around the doorframe to see a black-haired elf lying on the bed, his fair face contorted in pain and he gripped the bedsheets with white knuckles. Elrond stood by as Sílaedhel cut off the elf's leggings to just above the knee, then she pushed the fabric apart to reveal the elf's blackened skin. The elflings' eyes widened when they saw the elf's shin bone had snapped into two pieces.

"I can already tell you have a spiral fracture," Sílaedhel said as she his examined leg. "Elrond, can you see how I've already come to that conclusion?"

"There's significant bruising and visible bone tenting, it looks like it is ready to break through the skin," Elrond replied.

"Very good, now what is the appropriate treatment?"

"The only method to treat a spiral fracture is surgery," Elrond said as the black-haired elf groaned, but not in pain.

"My Lady Sílaedhel, I do hope you are not going to let Lord Elrond practice on me," he winced and gritted his teeth when her prodding fingers touched a tender spot. "The last time he gave me aid I was given an overdose of muscle relaxer and didn't regain the feeling in my limbs for a week, not to mention my stitches weren't remotely even."

"Lady Sílaedhel, I forgot to tell you that we are completely out of anesthesia and pain suppressants, we will have to perform his surgery without them," Elrond replied, staring at the black-haired elf with a deadpan expression.

"Enough you two, you're supposed to be friends," she said with a scolding glare, but her tone remained light. "Erestor, Elrond has much improved in his treatments of late. I will allow you to view my rosters if you do not believe me. And you, Elrond, should not antagonize your patient, any added stimulation can send them into shock."

Despite the admonishment, the two elves continued to bicker. Erestor claimed a drunken dwarf could wield a needle and thread better than an incompetent half-elf, while Elrond told Erestor he was more than welcomed to find a book on bone fractures and perform the surgery on himself, rather than have said incompetent half-elf do it for him. He also added that if he were able to tear his eyes away from his books and watch where he was walking, he was less likely to injure himself.

Erie and Lindriel did their best to stifle their giggles, and while they escaped the attention of the three elves within the room, the white-haired elf that helped fix Erie's hand noticed them.

"Erie!" he hissed, startling the two elflings. He was carrying a tray of medicines meant for Erestor. "You know better than to lurk outside the patient rooms, you better not let your mother catch you!"

"Sorry Caladon," Erie whispered, then took Lindriel's hand. "C'mon, we better go."

"Run along now," he said with a soft smile as the two elflings padded away.

"What do you want to do now?" Lindriel asked as they walked out of the infirmary. One thing Lindriel really liked about her new home was that everyone could walk just about anywhere by way of the covered walkways built along the cliffsides. She and Erie strolled down one of these carved passageways, out of the rain, but not knowing where to go.

"I don't care, what do you want to do?" Lindriel shrugged.

They had played in each other's rooms many times over the course of several days. Every board and card game had been played multiple times, and it didn't appeal to either of them at this point. But the thought of Erie's room made Lindriel ask a question that had been on her mind.

"Hey Erie, why don't you and your family live in the palace?"

"I'm not really sure," she said with a shrug. Erie herself had never given it much thought truth be told. Nevertheless, she quite liked her cozy house because it was big enough for her, her parents, and Elrond. It even had enough room for Círdan and Celebrimbor when they decided to visit.

"It's not really a home, it's just a place where ada holds court and visiting dignitaries can stay," Erie said after she thought about it. "I think he made it that way on purpose."

"So everyone can get away from it?" Lindriel said, repeating something she overheard her ada say to her naneth at dinner one night. "My ada said that no one really lives there."

"Except maybe the library ghouls," Erie said with a giggle. "There's a handful of elves who maintain the library, and they're_ always_ there."

"Ada told me about the library," Lindriel said as her ears perked up. "He said it was really big."

"It is! Do you want to go see it?" Erie said, picking up on Lindriel's interest.

"Can we?" she asked. "There's always really important people there, won't they get mad or annoyed?"

"Of course they won't," Erie said. "We can go to the library, indoor gardens, and watch fencing matches as long as we behave and don't bother anyone working."

Erie had spoken like she was repeating her parents, and Lindriel gripped her friend's hand as she considered it. She so wanted to see the library! But a sliver of fear kept her back, there were so many regal elves there that she thought would find them a nuisance. Erie however, made her choice for her.

"C'mon, let's go!" Erie said as she took off, dragging Lindriel behind her.

Her heart fluttered as Erie led her up the cliffside and through a side gate which opened into a grand hallway lined with white columns. Crystal chandeliers hung from the decorative ceiling, and their footsteps were silent as they tread across the gilded blue carpet. There were only a handful of elves in the corridor, and they paid them no mind as they ventured through.

Lindriel felt heartened when they passed by the stately elves, who were often too engrossed in their conversations or the parchments they had in hand to pay them any mind. Those few who did take note of them smiled and gave them a short greeting. Erie politely responded to each elf that spoke, calling them by their names if she knew them.

They turned and went down another corridor, which was smaller and half enclosed. The rain still fell, but the cold air barely reached them as they walked up to a set of double doors that stood wide open.

The smell of aged paper hit Lindriel when they walked inside the library, and her eyes widened in reverence as she beheld the number of books. The library stretched far ahead of them, with numerous shelves that covered two floors. Natural light fell through crystal windows, and white spiral staircases led to the upper floor, and she could see plenty of reading nooks with padded chairs clustered around several tables and fireplaces.

If Lindriel could only live in one place for the rest of time, it would definitely be here.

"This way," Erie said quietly as she led her deep into the library and up a staircase.

There was a corner in the back, hidden by shelves, where a plush rug lay beside a small, unlit fireplace. Thick cushions lay on the rug, which were big enough for a larger elf to sink into. The shelves that clustered around this special nook were lower and smaller than the rest, and she and Erie had no trouble reaching them.

"There are so many of them!" Lindriel quietly squealed as her eyes raked over the countless books lining the shelves. "I don't know which one to pick!"

"These have lots of pictures in them," Erie said as she slid one off the shelf. It was large, but not too thick. "This one's my favorite, it has lots of stories about my agi Fingon."

Lindriel browsed through the selection as Erie patiently waited, and finally selected a book about an adventurous knight. They went and sat down in the cushions, opened their books and began to read. Lindriel was immediately lost in a story about a wayward knight on a journey through a forest and to the sea, while Erie reread Fingon's heroics.

They could hear the rain continue to fall through a nearby window, but the only sound between them for the next hour was the turning of pages. Lindriel finished hers and went to pick up another one while Erie sat cross-legged in her seat, the book resting on her legs. She was staring at a picture, though Lindriel thought the expression was similar to one her ada had when he was thinking about something important.

"Is that one really good?" Lindriel asked when she walked up to Erie with another book in hand.

"Huh?" Erie said as she snapped out of her trance. "Oh! Yes!"

She held out the book so Lindriel could see a detailed watercolor of an elf clad in silver armor battling a gigantic troll.

"My agi Fingon was one of the best warriors that _ever_ lived," Erie said with tremendous pride. "Everyone says that he was noble and brave, and everyone loved him."

Lindriel knew about Erie's grandfather, the High King Fingon. Her father sometimes told her stories about him, from when he knew him in Mithrim. He said that he was justly known as Fingon the Valiant, that he fiercely defended his people and was very considerate to everyone he met.

"My ada said that he was always full of energy," Lindriel said, catching Erie's attention. "He could never sit still, and you always knew where he was because you could hear him laughing all the time."

"Your ada knew him?" she asked, her blue-grey eyes widened with fascination.

Lindriel nodded. "My ada was an adviser in Mithrim, he knew King Fingon and King Fingolfin. He will sometimes tell me stories about them."

"My ada doesn't remember much about him," Erie said as she settled her book back in her lap and looked at the picture. "He was sent to live with Círdan when he was really little, but he does have some letters and even a journal that my agi wrote."

"What about your ada? He's a warrior like Fingon was, don't you think they're alike?"

Erie got that faraway look on her face again and stared at an indistinct spot among the bookshelves for a few moments.

"A lot of people say that ada is bigger than Fingon, but he's as good of a warrior, if not better. He's got a similar personality and is just as beloved." Erie said, then shrugged as she recalled a fuzzy memory. "But Círdan once said that Ilúvatar must be praised because ada turned out to be more sensible and is not as reckless as his ada was."

Lindriel giggled, but quickly stifled it when a dark-headed elf appeared around a bookshelf. Lindriel thought for sure the bejeweled and silk-clad elf would scold them for making too much noise, but she smiled at them as she came to speak with them.

"Well hello there, Erie, I thought I saw you come in here earlier," she said as she leaned over them. "Is this your new friend?"

"Yes, Andreneth, this is Lindriel," Erie said. "We came to look at the books since it was raining outside."

"I know, it has already rained much this season, but it should pass quickly," Andreneth said. "But you are welcomed here anytime, as are you Lindriel."

"Thank you," Lindriel replied with a shy smile. "I really like it here; this is the biggest library I've ever seen!"

"Well I am very glad to hear it," she said with a twinkling laugh. "You may also borrow books if you wish, all you have to do is let me know."

"Like this one?" Lindriel asked as she held out the book in her hands. It was thicker than the one she had before, and knew it would take her a couple of hours to finish it.

"Of course! Here, let me take it and just write down which one it is," Andreneth said, and Lindriel gave her the book.

Erie went and put hers back on the shelf, and they followed Andreneth downstairs to a large desk that sat beneath a window. Another dark-haired elf sat behind it, dressed in wine colored robes with a gold circlet above his brow. The elf was busy writing something and was oblivious to Andreneth who slid an open book towards her and wrote something down in it.

"Here you are," she said when she finished and handed Lindriel the book. "Just bring it back here when you return it, then you may borrow another one."

"I will, thank you very much!" Lindriel beamed and clutched the book tightly against her chest.

"Come on, let's go to the gardens, there's trees that we can climb," Erie said to Lindriel. "Thank you very much Andreneth, we'll be sure to visit again soon."

"I will look forward to it," she said with a smile and exchanged goodbyes. "Such delightful girls. It's no wonder the king is so proud," she said to the elf seated behind the desk as Erie and Lindriel walked away.

"The little princess is indeed a blessing to us all," the elf said, his eyes never leaving his work. "Hopefully though, the king's family will include more children sometime soon. A prince would be welcomed indeed."

Erie paused in her stride and her face drained of color. She swallowed hard, and when Lindriel touched her hand she started walking again, this time at a much faster pace. She all but fled from the library, with Lindriel on her heels, struggling to keep up.


	6. A New Library (cont)

**A New Library (cont.)**

They journeyed through winding corridors and down several flights of stairs, passing by elves that were garbed in gambesons and armor. The hallways were much plainer and smaller than those they had passed through earlier, and the smell of leather and oil made Lindriel's nose wrinkle. She could hear metal clash against metal as she followed Erie up a set of winding stairs and onto a balcony that surrounded a barren room with high windows.

Erie went and slumped before the balustrade, resting her forehead against the cool white stone. Lindriel settled down beside her and sat her book in her lap. Elves with swords and spears battled over the mosaic floor, exchanging slashes, thrusts, and parries. Lindriel scooted closer to the balcony edge, her heart racing as she watched the matches with eager fascination.

She began to favor a golden-haired elf armed with a sword, who bested three elves in short order, when she heard a sniff and turned to look at Erie. She looked dejected as she leaned against a column, wiping her nose with the back of her bandaged hand.

"Are you okay?" Lindriel asked when she thought she saw a tear fall from Erie's eye.

"No," she answered in a pitifully small voice. "Everyone is disappointed in me."

"No, they're not!" Lindriel said, startled. "You heard that elf in the library, he said you were a blessing. Everyone likes you!"

"They're disappointed that I'm a girl," she clarified in the same tone. "Everyone says it all the time, they always say that they hope my ada and naneth will have a boy soon. It makes me feel like I can't do anything a prince can do."

Erie's bottom lip quivered and several more tears fell from her eyes, which she quickly wiped away. More replaced them.

A lot of people didn't know that her parents weren't going to have more children. But everyone's offhanded comments weren't what really bothered her. They always reminded her that if her ada ever went to war there wouldn't be someone from their family to help him. Elrond had never shown an interest in fighting and preferred healing, so she doubted he would be much help if the time ever came. That just left her, but everyone always looked startled or tried to make her think it was a silly idea when she said she was going to be a soldier.

It made her indescribably mad and sad, that they didn't think she should do it. Yet she was also very afraid too. Her family had nearly been eradicated by Morgoth, and an unknown number of his servants were hiding somewhere in Middle-earth. She didn't want them to hurt her family.

She didn't dare tell Lindriel that her ada sometimes got reports about strange happenings in faraway lands, even she wasn't supposed to know. She only knew because she had decided to hide in her ada's study rather than take her afternoon nap one day. She had crept into one of the bookshelf cabinets, leaving the little door slightly ajar so she could look at the pictures in the book she had brought with her.

She remembered sitting in the darkened space with the book in her lap when she heard her ada enter the room with Gildor and one of Celebrimbor's visiting advisors, Saelaethor. She could only see the hems of their robes as they gathered around her ada's big desk, speaking in grave tones.

"Bands of orcs have been gathering in the southeast, it seems that they are returning from the lands where they have been hiding," Gildor had said, his golden robe brushed past the cabinet Erie hid in, making the door creak slightly.

"That is to be expected," Gil-galad said as he swept around his desk and settled into the chair. "What most concerns me are the reports from the Nandor in the east, they claim to have seen spiders and a werewolf roaming the forests."

"I do not think it to be a coincidence," Saelaethor said, tactful as always. His sharp features always reminded Erie of a hawk. "What are the chances that orcs, spiders, and werewolves would be spotted in such a short amount of time? We do not yet know what kinds of spirits escaped the Valar's host when Morgoth fell. We shall have to be vigilant and investigate further."

Erie sucked in a breath and held it tight in her chest. She could scarcely believe what she had heard. Up until that moment, orcs, trolls, and werewolves were just scary monsters in her bedtime stories. She never had to worry about them, but she could tell that her ada and the two lords were greatly concerned.

"Some of Morgoth's greatest servants were never found," Gil-galad said after several tense moments. "They could still be hiding somewhere in Middle-earth. Tell all our kin to keep a close watch on our borders. I want regular reports from every realm. I want to know if these foul creatures pose a threat to us, but do not tell anyone who doesn't need to know."

Gildor and Saelaethor immediately turned and left the room to carry out the king's command. Gil-galad himself heaved a sigh when the doors shut behind them. Erie peered through the crack to see her ada leaning on his desk, his chin resting in his hand. His brow was knitted tight on his forehead, and it was the first time she had ever seen him look so…anxious.

He sat there for a long time, never speaking and never moving. Erie had always thought that her ada was the biggest and best warrior in all of Arda, and that nothing could scare him. To see him looking so concerned was what scared her the most. She wanted to spring from the cabinet and bury herself in his arms. However, she knew that her ada would be incredibly upset, and would be scolded for running off again. So she remained where she was, her heart hammering in her chest.

After a while though, Gil-galad picked up several pieces of parchment and read through them, scratching his name at the bottom or making notes. One of his secretaries came to collect him for a meeting after a few minutes, and he left his study, shutting the door behind him. Erie remained where she was for several minutes before she crept out of her hiding space with trembling limbs.

She pulled the book out behind her, but it got caught on the doorway and fell open on the floor beside her. By chance, it fell on a picture depicting Fingolfin's last battle with Morgoth. He looked like a shining light compared to the shadowy form that towered over him, and she was seized by a paralyzing fear.

She sat on the floor, scarcely able to breathe as her heart hammered wildly in her chest, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared at the pale figure. A vivid image of Fingolfin's desperate struggle appeared before her eyes, and she could even hear his panting breaths and desperate cries in her ears. She could feel the vibrations beneath her as the Vala's weapon missed the elven king and struck the ground, and heard his thunderous roars when flashes of silver pierced his black armor.

She could see Fingolfin struck by a blow from the Vala's hammer, smashing against a rockface before collapsing on the ground. Morgoth limped to Fingolfin, seething with wrath and malice as he reached down and held Fingolfin aloft, his clawed hand wrapped tight around his throat. Slowly, the bones in his neck began to crack, then there was burning—

Somehow, she managed to slam the book shut and ran as fast as she could out of the study and back home, holding it as far away from her as she could. She was immediately scolded by their housekeeper for running off when she made it back, and made to stay in her room until suppertime, but she didn't care. She felt safe in her home and after a while the panic went away.

Still, Erie hadn't been able to look at the book since then.

But there hadn't been a war since before she was born, and she had only ever known safety and peace. Maybe it was nothing to be afraid of, and one day they would learn that the orcs, spiders, and werewolves were nothing but rumors. But it didn't make her feel better. The descendants of Fingolfin were said to be fearless, but she wasn't.

"Well, they're wrong," Lindriel said, cutting through her thoughts as she turned to face Erie. Lindriel sat up straight, her chest swelled with confidence. "I know they're wrong. You're as kind, smart, and brave as any prince I've ever heard of. You've always been nice to me, and showed me where to find the best seashells and tidepools to swim in. You didn't even cry when you hurt your hand the other day!"

Erie looked down at her hand and flexed her fingers. "But I did cry," she admitted. "When naneth and Caladon started stitching my hand I did cry. It hurt so bad. I tried not to, I really did, cause I knew my ada and agi wouldn't have."

Lindriel's face fell when she heard this confession, but a part of her didn't want to believe it.

"I know better too. Crying doesn't help anything," Erie said. "I fell off a sea stack when a group of my friends and I were playing on it and broke my arm. We weren't supposed to be on it, and everyone was too scared to go get help, cause we would all get in a lot of trouble. I don't know how long I sat on the beach and cried, but I had to get up and walk to naneth's infirmary."

The pieces were starting to fit together in Lindriel's mind as Erie told her story. She now understood why everyone had been so grateful when she helped Erie. No one else had the last time.

"Everyone was in big trouble after that, including me, but I learned that I can't just sit and cry when something is wrong. Crying doesn't do anything; it doesn't solve anything. I know I need to be more like my ada and agi, but sometimes it's really hard."

Lindriel turned from Erie and looked back over the training hall, her eyes seeing everything and nothing. There had been only two other princesses born to Fingolfin's house before Erie, Aredhel and Idril. The rest were princes. She had never thought how hard it must have been, to be a part of such a noble family. They were all legends, for good or bad, and Erie must have felt she was supposed to be as great as they were.

"I don't mind if you cry," Lindriel said after a few minutes. "I don't think your ada or Fingon would care if you did either. You're still little."

Erie sniffed and wiped her nose, but she perked up. She no longer slouched against the column, and she stared at Lindriel, eager to hear what else she had to say.

"You're still little," she repeated. "And if people think that you shouldn't be a warrior just because you're a girl, then they're ignorant."

Erie considered this and turned to watch the sparring matches for a few minutes. Everyone always spoke highly of her family, including her ada and even Elrond. She wanted to be just as valiant and wise as they, but often felt horribly inadequate. She wasn't as strong or well-spoken as her ada, nor was she as smart or considerate as Elrond. But Lindriel was right, she was still young, and she could learn.

"I come down here all the time to watch," Erie said after a prolonged silence. "Ada says that I'm too small to start real training, but I can learn a lot just by watching. I'm sure that if I become strong enough, and learn to ride and lead an army, then no one will care that I'm not a prince."

And I can help ada if it comes down to it, she thought.

Lindriel nodded and smiled. "That's all you need to do then! You can show them that you can do anything a prince can do!"

She gave a half smile. "No other Noldorin princess has led an army though, I know Aredhel fought in many battles before she went to live in Gondolin and Galadriel fought when Doriath and the Havens of Sirion fell, but that's it."

"You'll be the first then!" Lindriel said with excitement. "You can be the first valiant princess of the Noldor!"

"I could be Ereiniel the Valiant, just like my agi!" Erie giggled; her tears had vanished. "I'll be able to fight orcs and trolls with my ada!" Being able to share some of her concerns made her feel so much lighter, and the fact that Lindriel encouraged her was even better. No one else had done so.

"I'm so sorry, I told you we were going to the gardens, and I brought you here instead," Erie said as she stood up. "I don't know why, but I always come here when I'm feeling mad or sad. C'mon, there's plenty of trees there that we can climb!"

Lindriel took Erie's offered hand and left the training hall with her, her book under her arm. Erie was even skipping as she led Lindriel to an enormous enclosed atrium. The roof was made of glass, and the garden was surrounded by tall pillars and exposed corridors. There was grass beneath their feet, and stone pathways meandered around the tall, leafy trees and colorful flowers.

"Over here!" Erie cried as she ran into the foliage with Lindriel behind her. "This one is my favorite to climb!"

She led Lindriel to a large tree with a broad trunk and several low laying branches. Erie grabbed one and swung herself up into the tree. Lindriel carefully set her book on the ground next to the tree and followed Erie up. Lindriel climbed with far greater dexterity, easily rising higher than her friend.

"Wow!" Erie beamed when she finally managed to clamor up after Lindriel, who had seated herself on a branch near the treetop. "You're really, really good!"

"I've always climbed trees," Lindriel said when Erie found a seat nearby. "There were plenty around my house that I would play on every day."

"You don't talk about your old home much," Erie said. "Did you not like it there?"

"Of course I did," Lindriel answered. "I was very upset when my ada told me that we were leaving it. I had a nice room that looked out over our garden and we had a big library too. But I like it better here, I didn't have many friends there."

"Weren't there many elflings there?" Erie asked with a raised brow.

"Not really," Lindriel said with a shrug of her shoulders. "They didn't always play with me, and when they did it wasn't for very long. I think it had something to do with their parents not liking us Noldor."

Erie nodded, understanding a little of what Lindriel told her. Celebrimbor would often tell her things about the elves that lived in the Blue Mountains and the realms beyond the borders of Lindon. Some of them were secretive and distrustful, and many still blamed the Noldor for the ruin of Beleriand. She also knew what it was like to not have many friends, no one had really played with her since she broke her arm. They were too scared she'd get hurt and they would all get in trouble again.

"But I'm happy here, I like it much better," Lindriel said with a smile. "And I've got you as a best friend!"

"You're my best friend too, I'm so glad I found you!" Erie beamed, and shared a delighted giggle with Lindriel.

"Galdor!" A familiar voice cried out below them, startling them. "There are hobgoblins in the trees again, summon the archers at once!"

Erie's face lit up when she recognized the voice while Lindriel frowned. The king stood below them with the white robed Teleri, an amused grin was on both their faces.

"We're not hobgoblins!" Lindriel cried, eliciting a loud laugh from Gil-galad.

Erie was quickly sliding down the branches, and when she had descended far enough the king held out his arms to her. Erie jumped into them, giggling when he caught her and hoisted her up on his hip. Lindriel followed a bit more slowly, and when Gil-galad held out his arm to her she slid into it, choosing not to jump as wildly as Erie did.

"Now, what have you two been doing? Not causing too much mischief I hope," Gil-galad said with a grin. "I'm afraid that people are starting to think that the palace_ is_ infested with hobgoblins."

"No, ada! We went to the library after it started raining," Erie said. "Lindriel wanted to see it, and Andreneth let her borrow a book!"

"Well that was incredibly kind of her," the king said as Galdor retrieved the book and handed it to Lindriel, who thanked him and clutched it tight. "Alas, we shall have to work on improving her reading tastes it seems. Finrod Felagund's adventures are not as exciting as other elf princes'," he said with a wink. Lindriel giggled.

"Erie also took me down to the training hall to see the fencing matches," Lindriel said. "She's going to be warrior, just like you!"

"Well she had better!" Gil-galad declared, startling Erie. "I've already lost Elrond to her mother, there should be at least one other capable warrior in our household."

"You mean it?" Erie asked, unsure due to her father's playful tone. A strange look passed over her face, one that Lindriel and Gil-galad noticed, but didn't dwell on. Lindriel thought it was something akin to eagerness while Gil-galad thought she looked fearful. "You'll teach me everything you know so I can fight with you against orcs and other monsters?"

Gil-galad fell silent for a few moments, his jovial expression faded. He seemed lost in thought as he stared at Erie, and she at him. A silent understanding must have passed between them, because the next thing the king said was carefully worded and methodical.

"Aye, if that is what you want," Gil-galad said. "You can learn everything is to know, but you will only_ defend_ this realm. I won't have my only child marching out at the head of a host to face any danger. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"I can do that!" Erie beamed and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. It wasn't what she was hoping for, but she'd at least be able to protect her family when she grew up. Orcs couldn't hurt her family if they couldn't get through her first. "Just you wait, I'll be as good as you one day!"

Lindriel smiled, as did Galdor. Yet the Teleri elf's smile was strained, and an eyebrow was high on his forehead. Gil-galad ignored him.

"Now, I have it on good authority that there are freshly baked blueberry cakes down in the kitchens, why don't we go down and steal one?" the king asked, making the girls gasp.

"Naneth said we're not supposed to take anything from the kitchens though! Especially if it's close to suppertime!" Erie said, but the gleam in her eye told the king she was excited by the prospect. She favored anything with blueberries, just like him.

"Well then it will be our secret," Gil-galad said. "Besides, I heard something about Erestor falling down the library steps and being taken to the infirmary, again, she's probably attending to him and will be late coming home."

"She is!" Lindriel said, nodding in agreement. "She and Elrond said they were going to have to do an operation on his leg!"

"Splendid!" the king beamed. "Then I'm sure we will have twice the amount of time to ourselves, since Sílaedhel will likely have Elrond performing it. Hopefully his suturing skills will have improved by now."

Gil-galad set the elflings down and encouraged them to run ahead. He watched as his daughter scampered ahead with her friend while Galdor fell into step beside him. He knew the Teleri elf was unnerved, as he too was aware of the strange sightings abroad.

"She'll never forget that," he said in a hushed tone as they followed the girls along the winding pathways.

"Of course she won't," the king replied, walking with his hands behind his back. "She can learn to fight and guard our borders if she so chooses, there's no harm in that."

"She reads too many stories about your father," Galdor continued, for the princess' fondness for her grandfather's heroics was known by all.

"Do not think that it doesn't upset me, because it does," Gil-galad said with a sniff. "A child should admire their parent more so than their grandparent—"

"My lord!" Galdor startled, then fretfully looked to see if the two elflings had heard him. Thankfully, they were too engrossed in their own conversation as they skipped along, and he turned back to the king, who now stood stock still and stared down at him with a thunderous glare.

"Lord Galdor," he said, his brows lifted and his jaw tightened. "Are you trying to tell me you disapprove of what my child chooses to do in the future?"

Galdor swallowed hard. It was no secret that the High King prized his family above all else in Middle-earth, and wouldn't hear a negative word against them. Galdor knew he was treading into dangerous territory, and decided to approach the subject in a different manner.

"Of course not," he began, choosing his words carefully. "I only mean to say that she may take it into her head that she needs to be just like him, you, and King Fingolfin. Everyone dreads it, and tries to dissuade her. No one wants to see her potentially risking herself. Everyone loves her."

The king's displeasure evaporated in an instant and he turned his gaze back to Erie. He was always pleased when others praised his child or expressed their love of her. She was an endless source of pride for him. Of course, he knew that his secretaries and advisors knew this, and they would sometimes make comments about Erie to change his disposition or distract him. Needless to say, it often worked.

However, he feared Galdor was right. Only he and his close family knew that Erie was prone to silent fits and had started to hide her emotions from others. She had never been the same since he came home one afternoon and found her despondent in her room.

Their housekeeper Mereniel had said that she had run off instead of taking her nap, and had come home looking like a startled doe. She wouldn't say what had bothered her and had been sent to her room afterwards, but Mereniel reported that Erie had remained uncharacteristically silent. Gil-galad had immediately gone up to investigate.

True to her word, Erie's room was tidy and still, the only sound came from her collection of suncatchers chiming in the gentle breeze. An out of place book lay discarded on the floor, and he picked it up, flipping through the pages in curiosity. It was a mixture of old tales and epic poems accompanied by illustrations. He would pause and look over some of the more meticulously painted, the city of Gondolin, the misty shores of Mithrim, and a disturbing picture of Morgoth and Fingolfin.

He closed it and tucked it beneath his arm as he walked out onto Erie's balcony, finding her curled up in her hammock swing. She was nearly swallowed by the cushions, and clutched a stuffed fawn tight against her chest. Her face was pale, and she stared at the horizon with round, glistening eyes.

"Now whatever is the matter?" he said as he approached her. Erie turned and looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and a choked sob escaped her throat. A flare of concern surged through him and he dropped the book as he knelt, taking her pallid face in his hands.

"Ada?" Erie wiped her eyes and her frightfully pitiful tone made his heart lurch. Tears started to drip down her cheeks. "Ada I was so scared!"

"Of what, Miluieth?" he said, using her mother-name as he often did when he wished to soothe her.

"I was reading, and I saw, I saw—" Her eyes froze on the book that lay discarded beside them, and she shrank away. Now he understood.

"Did you see something that startled you?" Gil-galad asked. Erie nodded.

It wasn't uncommon for elflings to have visions of the future or past. Often the scene was trivial and lasted only a few seconds. Most of the time an elfling wouldn't be aware they had even had a vision, or experience it more than once or twice. However, if the depiction was one of war or death, it was often traumatizing. Erie clearly saw something of the latter.

"I saw agi Fingolfin," she said between deep, hiccupping breaths. "I'm pretty sure it was him; he was fighting and, and—"

"Hush now, come here," he said as he pulled her close and held her tight against his chest. "It's all over now, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore."

Gil-galad hummed a lullaby as he gently rocked her, soothing her until her cries subsided. He could remember his father doing the same when he was very young, and remembered how safe and loved he felt. He wanted Erie to feel the same, and know that no matter what troubled her, he would always comfort her.

While Erie did feel much better after a several minutes, wrapped in her ada's arms, she still couldn't get the images out of her head. It lingered like a bad taste in her mouth. But there was also something about it that troubled her. Fingolfin was said to have died crushed to death beneath Morgoth's foot, so why did her vision imply that he was burnt? She couldn't make sense of it.

"Nothing will ever hurt us, will it ada?" she asked, her voice muffled by his robes. "All the orcs and other monsters will never get us here, right?"

"Of course they won't," Gil-galad assured. "There are none left that could ever harm you, you are perfectly safe here. I would never let anything bad happen to you."

Erie was somewhat satisfied by this. Her ada had soothed her fears for the time being, and after a few more minutes of lingering in his comforting embrace she gave him one last hug, then wiggled free. She wiped the remaining tears from her face and even picked up the book to show her ada that she wasn't afraid anymore. At least, she hoped she looked like she wasn't afraid. She felt like she held a rapid animal in her hand, one that could still turn and bite her.

Though Erie seemed fine afterwards, always playing and sneaking off during her naptime, she would reread the same stories about Fingon and stare at the pictures for hours on end. She even started telling everyone she wanted to be a warrior just like her ada. While it pleased him to no end, knowing that she wanted to be like him, Gil-galad was concerned that Erie had developed an irrational fear that something bad could happen to their family.

But she was still young, and she would soon learn that her fears were unwarranted. He would still let her do what she wanted, even if she didn't change her mind when she grew up. His father had been Fingolfin's Lord Marshal, and the thought of Erie potentially inheriting the title —without the associated battlefield command— made his heart swell with pride.

"Come, Galdor," Gil-galad said, his thoughts returning to the task at hand. "We have cakes to steal, and because you have dared to suggest my child adores her grandfather more than me, you shall be our lookout."

Galdor startled as the High King slapped him on the shoulder, then started ahead to sweep the two giddy girls up in his arms. He watched as Gil-galad told the elflings his elaborate plan in a secretive tone, and shook his head. He was dismayed that the king had once again given into his daughter's wishes, but also that it was he who was reduced to the lowliest position in their game.

At least there was cake to look forward to.

* * *

Please review and let me know what you think! I **really** appreciate it!


	7. A New Present

**A/N: **This chapter took a little longer to finish than I thought it would. I've been busy with school and even started a new story I may publish soon. Thank you for being patient, and enjoy!

**A New Present**

Erie had been told countless times not to run in the palace. She could easily trip someone or crash into something. However, she had _very _important news for her ada, so she ran as fast as her limbs could carry her through the gilded halls, heedless of the consequences.

Startled courtiers and guards watched as she rushed past them with a missive clutched tight in her hand, and were more curious than vexed by the tiny princess' disregard for the rules. Judging by the determined expression on her face, they doubted she would have heard them even if they admonished her. They could only chuckle as she darted past them.

Thankfully, her ada's study doors were half opened —a sign that he wasn't engaged in important matters— so she didn't feel too naughty when she burst through them. She did make his secretary jump and drop the papers he held, and the conversation Gil-galad was having with Elrond came to an abrupt halt when she collided with the side of the desk.

"Dear Ilúvatar Erie!" Elrond cried as he jumped from his seat to make sure she didn't hurt herself. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Ada! This is important!" Erie said as she pushed Elrond's hands away and slapped the piece of paper she carried onto the desk. "Lindriel is having a begetting day party next week! We _have_ to get her a present!"

Gil-galad remained in his seat with his legs crossed and hands folded in his lap, undisturbed by his daughter's dramatic entrance. She was red faced and panting, but the light in her eyes was akin to a messenger that had successfully delivered their news after traversing through a brigade of orcs. Though Elrond and his secretary Gilithion —who was picking up the notebook and papers he dropped— gave her a perturbed glare for disturbing them, Gil-galad's eyes shone with mirth. Why they weren't amused was beyond him.

"Is that so?" the king asked as he reached over and pulled the paper closer to him, which turned out to be a crumpled invitation.

"Yes! Lindriel said that her naneth was going to have games we could play, and she was going to make a lemon cake too!" Erie said, bouncing on her toes. She could barely peer over the top of the desk, so often all Gil-galad could see were her eyes.

"Lemon you say?" Gil-galad's brow rose as he read over the elegant script, his hand concealed the grin on his face. "Now that might cause a High King to make an appearance."

"Ada! We _have_ to go! And we _need _to get her a present!" she said, her fingertips made a squelching sound as she gripped the edge of the desk in desperation.

"Have you given any thought to what you would like to give her?" Elrond asked as he and Gilithion settled themselves in the chairs before the king's desk with a rustle of silk.

Erie slumped her shoulders and let her eyes wander over the bookshelves, displayed weapons, and priceless heirlooms in the study, searching for a clue. She thought for sure one of them would have had an idea.

"She likes books, but she already has lots of them," she said. "I wouldn't know which one to get her."

"Books make poor gifts regardless," Gil-galad said with a dismissive wave of his hand and tossed the invitation back onto his desk. "I always preferred toy soldiers or a bow and arrows when I was young."

"Lindriel doesn't like playing with mine though ada," Erie whined. "She likes dress up dolls better, and she's afraid she'll break something if she shoots it!"

Gil-galad wanted to say that breaking things was half the fun, but a sharp glare from Elrond made him bite his tongue. He once said the same thing to two half-elflings years ago, and Sílaedhel still joked that if something in their house wasn't broken then it wasn't theirs. Elrond obviously recalled the chaos he and his twin wreaked and did not wish to be on the receiving end.

"Do you know of something that she doesn't have that she would like?" Gilithion said as he reordered his papers in his lap. "Like a game or toy?"

Erie almost said that Lindriel liked her music boxes, but when she thought about it, something else came to mind.

"She doesn't have any suncatchers in her windows!" she exclaimed when realization hit. "She's always looking at mine whenever she comes over to play, do you think that would be a good present?"

"Now that's a splendid idea!" Gil-galad said, making Erie giddy with excitement.

"Can we get her one ada? Can we?"

"Well I don't know if we can _right_ _now_," Gil-galad said as he cast Gilithion a familiar, imploring glance while Erie continued to beg.

The dark haired, willowy elf ruffled through his planner with a look of uncertainty. The king's daily schedule was often packed with meetings and expositions. It was near impossible to rearrange a day's appointments without effecting countless others. It could be done, but a bottle of the strongest Nandorian wine would be required to complete the task. Luckily though, the king's itinerary for the remainder of the day was inconsequential.

"There is an appointment scheduled with your advisors to discuss plans for the upcoming meeting with the Númenorians regarding renewed trade agreements," Gilithion said as read.

"That is hardly worth assembling for," Gil-galad said. "I for one see no reason to make alterations to something that has worked just fine for the last century."

"Does that mean we can go?" Erie asked with uncertainty, her wide eyes fixed upon Gilithion. In her mind it was the secretary whose permission was needed. Outings had always been permitted or denied by Gilithion and his notebook.

"I believe comments regarding the trade meeting can be heard during next week's regular consult luncheon then," he said as he made a note in pencil. "Other than that milord, there is nothing else scheduled today."

"Excellent!" Gil-galad beamed as pushed himself from his seat and walked around the desk to pick Erie up, then tossed her high into the air. "We can go to the markets and get your little friend the best begetting day present we can give her!"

"Oh! Oh!" Erie flailed her arms as soon as he set her on his hip. "Can Elrond come to?"

The thought of spending the day with her ada and Elrond made her more excited. Not only would she be with two of her most favorite people in all the world, but Elrond always needed to stop by the candy store for taffy. He always kept a little dish in his bedroom and study that often needed to be refilled, and Gil-galad would always buy her a treat to take back home whenever they went.

"Alas, I have engagements that I cannot miss this afternoon," Elrond said, making Erie sigh in disappointment. "However, I assume the invitation is for our family and not just Erie, so I would like to get her a gift as well. My afternoon is free the day after tomorrow, so you and I can make a special trip of our own."

"Really?" Erie smiled. "That'll be so much fun, I can't wait!"

"I'm sure you two won't have nearly as much fun as we are about to, though," Gil-galad winked at Elrond, then started out of the study. "But let us escape this place while we are given leave little lady, lest someone comes bearing grave news that hobgoblins have raided the kitchens again."

"Did you really call the guards and make them search the kitchens after the cook said the blueberry cakes went missing?" Erie asked as they passed the threshold, but the response was unheard by the remaining elves, who shook their heads in unison.

"I don't suppose he will admonish her for running in the halls, do you?" Elrond questioned with an uplifted brow, while the secretary continued to stare down his nose at the task in his lap.

"My dear Lord Elrond," Gilithion stated with obvious assurance, "you and I both know that our beloved king has never punished the princess a day in her life, and he is unlikely to start now."

Elrond snorted his consensus, then began a conversation with the secretary about his insight into the itinerary surrounding Celebrimbor's upcoming visit.

* * *

Gil-galad discarded his regal robes and walked to the market in an inconspicuous blue tunic, his hair in a single plait, and with a messenger bag and Erie on his shoulders. He was headed to see the glassmaker who not only had created Erie's suncatchers, but many of the works inside the palace. He believed his daughter's friend deserved only the finest as well.

They trekked down the cliffside along shaded paths and into the busy market streets. He loved the bustling atmosphere, though he was unable to enjoy it as often as he liked. The sounds of calling vendors, laughing children, scolding parents, and haggling merchants assured him that his people were happy and thriving. Against all insurmountable hopes they had developed a normalcy that seemed impossible to gain in years past.

Those grey days were often too distressing to recall, but they made the present days all the brighter. The endless wars, insecurities, and constant deaths now seemed like they had taken place in another world. Morgoth was sealed away and no one had to worry about kinslayers descending upon them any longer. Their peaceful existence had been hard won, and he would do anything to protect it.

"Look ada! There it is!" Erie cried as she pointed to the quaint shop with multiple glass creations in the windows.

Gil-galad set Erie down before he opened the door, and the delicate twinkling of tiny bells announced them. The rainbow in Erie's room was a poor imitation of the one inside the shop; it was like walking into a kaleidoscope. Rows of suncatchers, chandeliers, and delicate windchimes hung from the ceiling, coloring the shelves circling the shop in a multitude of hues. On the shelves were pieces of cutlery, jewelry, and pens made of crystal and glass.

"Ah!" a pretty, golden-haired elf startled as she looked up from her work behind the counter. "Good day to you milord."

"Hello again Lhindrien," Gil-galad greeted as she set aside her task of carving small crystal ornaments and approached them. He watched Erie out of the corner of his eye, making sure she didn't wander off. He hated that their extreme differences in height prevented him from holding her hand. "We are in need of you and your husband's help."

"Oh?" she smiled as she looked down at Erie standing beside him, whose attention was focused on a blue jellyfish with glittering silver tentacles. "Are you in need of a particular piece for your windows again?"

"No, not this time," Erie replied, tearing her eyes from the jellyfish overhead. "My friend Lindriel's begetting day is next week, and I thought she would like a suncatcher for her room. She doesn't have one." Erie sounded mournful, for she thought that Lindriel's room always looked dull compared to hers.

"That is very kind of you," Lhindrien said. "I'm sure we have something for your friend."

"I was wondering if Celairil would have time to make something," Gil-galad said. "It is for a very special occasion, after all."

"I'm sure he does, if you wait here I can fetch him for you," Lhindrien said, disappearing into the recesses of shop after the king expressed his thanks.

Lhindrien returned a few minutes later with a tall, golden elf in a leather apron, who was wiping sweat from his fair face with a handkerchief. Gil-galad rose from the floor, having knelt beside Erie as she excitedly pointed out all the different glass-wrought creatures to him while they waited.

"Good afternoon sire," Celairil said with a bow of his head. "How may I be of service?"

"I was hoping you had time to create something for my daughter's friend," Gil-galad said.

"It's her begetting day next week, and we need a special present!" Erie said.

"I am greatly honored that you have chosen me for this important task," Celairil said with a smile as he looked down upon her. "I would be happy to escort you into my workshop; there you can tell me what you have in mind."

Erie beamed as she followed him into the room behind the storefront. Gil-galad lingered for a few moments, then motioned for Lhindrien to come close. She obeyed, then looked at the jellyfish when he pointed at it. He pressed a finger to his lips when she looked back at him, and Lhindrien nodded in understanding. Gil-galad entered Celairil's workshop as she fetched a stool to get the piece down from the ceiling.

The plain, white-washed room was easily five times the size of the shop, with floor to ceiling shelves filled with various half-finished objects along one of the walls. A large furnace was built into another, with various tools, vats of sand, and worktables surrounding it. Along the last wall was a plain kiln. A long, recessed table divided the room, and it was here Celairil led Erie.

"Look here and tell me what colors you like," Celairil said as he helped her onto a stool beside the table. "You can pick out some of these little pieces that I can add to your friend's gift."

Erie's eyes widened as she beheld the heaps of glass and crystal beads on the table. They were divided by color in squared slots, and were of various sizes and shapes. She couldn't help but reach out her hand and let her fingers brush over the pile of sparkling blue stones.

"They're all so pretty!" she exclaimed, but then turned her focus to the task at hand. She needed to think about what Lindriel would like. "I know Lindriel's favorite color is purple, but she likes green too."

Celairil picked out several pieces for Erie to inspect, which were quickly approved or denied. Gil-galad watched them for several minutes before he went to inspect the items on the shelves. Most were ornamental pieces that would be fitted to larger projects, such as various flowers, swans, and stars. He paused to examine an orb of swirling, vein-like vines and lamented that he had never developed an interest in crafting glass or metal works.

"Lindriel likes birds and flowers," Erie said as Celairil picked up a tiny, violet bird from one of the piles. "She has a lot of books that have all kinds of pictures of them."

"Well, everything you have picked out has given me an idea," he said as he placed it on the pile of beads that had met with Erie's approval. He went and retrieved a notebook and pencil from one the workbenches, and knelt beside Erie when he returned.

"What if we make a flower and put all these little beads you've picked out on strings like this," he explained as he quickly sketched his design, with each stroke meeting Erie's excited approval.

"Yes! That's perfect! She'll love it! You can make it just like that, right?"

"Of course," Celairil laughed, delighted by her enthusiasm. "I promise you it will be my finest creation; your friend will love it."

"Thank you so very much Celairil! I can't wait to see it! Ada! Come look at Lindriel's present!"

Gil-galad chuckled and wandered over to peer over Celairil's shoulder at the drawing. "It's wonderful! Lindriel will no doubt love it."

They quickly agreed on a price and Celairil said he could have it finished in five days, just in time for Lindriel's party. Erie herself was glad, because it meant that she and her ada would have to make another trip to the market.

With the details seen to, Erie scampered ahead of her ada out of Celairil's workshop. She stood by Gil-galad as he paid Lhindrien, but her attention was riveted by the multitude of objects on the ceiling. She loved each and every one of them, and wished her own room could be as colorful and pretty as the shop. With her attention elsewhere, Erie did not see her ada deftly conceal a box that the pretty elf slipped him.

"Thank you again, Celairil, we greatly appreciate it," Gil-galad said as both Celairil and Lhindrien inclined their heads.

"The pleasure is entirely ours, my lord," Celairil said. "We are grateful to be of service."

"Come along Erie," Gil-galad said once the pleasantries were completed, and she obediently followed him out, hiding her disappointment over not finding the pretty jellyfish again.

"What are we going to do now, ada?" she asked him once they left the shop and started back up the street. "Are we going to go back home?"

"No, we have the rest of the day to ourselves, and it's too pretty to be wasted at home," Gil-galad said. "It's just now past midday, so let us go get something to eat, then we'll wander the shops for a while."

"Ooh! I'd like that very much!" she said, delighted by the prospect of food, but also because she liked the markets as much as her ada.

He bought them fish pasties that they ate by one of the fountains, then spent time visiting many of the shops. They didn't buy anything, but Gil-galad would talk to whomever the shop owner was while Erie wandered the store. She would listen to the conversations at first, because the people he spoke with were former heralds, captains, and war strategists that he knew on Balar. Not all served Fingolfin or Fingon, but when it became clear to Erie that they wouldn't be speaking of past heroics or battles, she would wander over to look at the items on display.

Erie didn't quite understand why someone would stop being a soldier and start making books, jewelry, or wine. She could perhaps understand why they would make clothes though, because she did have lots of fun looking at soft, pretty dresses while her ada talked with a female elf who used to be a marksman.

"Can I wear something like this one day?" Erie asked before they left the shop, holding out the hem of a gauzy, silvery gown with sparkling beadwork on the bust.

Gil-galad frowned at the strapless creation as Erie rose the skirt high above her head. It wasn't that he disapproved of the dress, he just didn't like to think about her growing up. It seemed only yesterday that he had first held her in his arms as a newborn.

"Whatever for?" he asked. "It doesn't look like something a Lord Marshal would wear."

"I could wear it to parties," Erie answered as she dropped the dress and watched the fabric drift down like falling mist. "Besides, a Lord Marshal doesn't wear armor all the time."

"And how would you know a thing like that?" Gil-galad said as he held open the door for her, letting her walk out into the afternoon sun before him.

"That night you mentioned it to naneth after dinner," she replied, recalling the rainy night after she and Lindriel played in the palace.

Her ada and naneth were reclining in the parlor, and she remembered the startled look on her mother's face after Gil-galad said he thought she might become "Lord Marshal" one day. She didn't think her naneth was pleased, since she frowned and told him to stop making jokes.

Erie didn't know what a Lord Marshal was or did, and didn't think asking her ada was a great idea in front of her naneth. So, she went to the only other person she knew would have the answer.

"I went and asked Elrond what it was, and he said it was a position that acted as regent for the king and was responsible for the overall protection of the realm," Erie said, reciting Elrond's explanation from memory. "He said that the last among the Eldar to have it was agi Fingon."

"Indeed he did," Gil-galad responded. "It's a position that requires the holder to know everything the king does, and how to command an army."

"Oh," Erie said, frowning. "That's a lot to know."

"Well, that just means you'll have to study hard and—"

"Wait, you're serious?" Erie startled. "You _really_ think that I could be Lord Marshal one day?"

"Of course I do. You are my heir, the title is rightfully yours if you prove yourself worthy," Gil-galad said, stopping alongside the wharf to look down at her.

"But everyone seems to think I shouldn't do anything like that," Erie said as she slouched her shoulders and kicked at a stray pebble on the ground. "They tell me that it's silly."

"It's not that they don't think you can," Gil-galad said as he knelt and pulled her close to him so he could look her in the eyes. "It's just that they don't want you to because they don't want you to get hurt. There is always the potential for danger, the world outside these lands are not always safe."

"So, it's not because everybody thinks I _can't_ become a soldier, it's just they don't want me to because it's not safe," she said.

"There are many people who love you dearly that have survived countless battles," Gil-galad said. "In wartime you see unspeakable horrors and lose many friends, they don't want you to experience any of that."

Erie thought of her vision of Fingolfin and could understand what her ada was explaining to her. She had been so scared and horrified after it, and it still managed to find its way into her dreams sometimes. But…

"I still want to do it though," she said. "Even if no one wants me to, I'll study really hard and learn everything that a Lord Marshal needs to know."

"If that is what will make you happy," Gil-galad gave a half smile as he smoothed her windswept hair. Though it would have pleased him to no end to see his daughter rise to such a lofty position, he could scarcely imagine her other than how she was now, full of innocence and wonder.

"I still want to wear pretty dresses though," Erie said, making the king laugh.

"No doubt you will be the most beautiful Lord Marshal in all of Arda," he said as he picked Erie up and stood. "Let us now go and get Elrond some of his beloved taffy, and see if there might be some freshly made turnovers for us."

"Ooh! Lets!"


	8. A New Present (cont)

**A New Present (cont.)**

Sílaedhel had just finish hanging the last of the infirmary's sheets out to dry when she started back inside, carrying the laundry basket on her hip. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she walked past the flourishing herb garden, and heard someone whistle a tune.

She turned and saw a familiar elf leaning on the garden fence with a mischievous grin on his face. For a moment Gil-galad looked as much as he did years ago when he would lean on her father's gate, waiting for her to walk by. Though he was no longer the lanky ward of the Shipwright, who would turn up on her doorstep with the slightest injuries and run off during his study time so he might talk to her while her father was elsewhere, the glimmer in his eyes when he looked upon her had remained the same.

Even when they were youths in the Falas, he had always beheld her with a look of reverence. She still had no idea how she managed to obtain such love and adoration from a Noldorin prince, to be honest. Yet she would have loved him even if he were the lowliest fisherman in the land.

"Now what are you doing here? It's early afternoon, you're usually working during this time of the day," Sílaedhel said as she approached him.

"I was released from my labors early," Gil-galad said as he brandished a bouquet of peonies. "For you, my lady."

"We got all kinds of turnovers too, naneth!" Erie said, popping into view. "Blueberry, apple, peach, and strawberry!"

"Melwen had just gotten them out of the oven, and we couldn't turn them down," Gil-galad said when Sílaedhel raised an inquiring brow.

"So you have been in the markets, have you?" she asked, ignoring the offered flowers and placed a hand on her hip.

"We needed to get Lindriel a present for her begetting day next week," Erie said as she clamored up onto the fence so she could peer over it. "Ada took me to see Celairil so he could make her a suncatcher."

"And you didn't think to invite me?" she asked, her brow rising higher. "Here I have been slaving away on poultices and laundry when I could have been enjoying a day of shopping."

Gil-galad and Erie looked to each other then back at Sílaedhel, unsure of what to say in response. The thought had crossed their minds, but Sílaedhel was often busier than the king. When she was not overseeing the work of other healers or tending to patients, she was developing new medicines. Gil-galad may have ruled the realm, but his lady wife ruled the infirmaries.

Her sour expression quickly dissolved into laughter and she planted a kiss on each of them. "I could not resist teasing you both, these are lovely," she said as she took the flowers and smelled their sweet scent. "So Lindriel's begetting day is next week? Are you getting Celairil to make her something beautiful?"

"Uh, huh!" Erie nodded, her and her ada's concerned expressions melted away into giddy relief. "Even Celebrimbor couldn't make her something more perfect!"

"Don't tell that to Celebrimbor," Gil-galad said, then turned to his wife. "The day isn't over yet, and we have yet to sample some of Melwen's delicious turnovers. We can have a picnic on the beach if you care to join us."

Sílaedhel looked over her shoulder and considered his offer. She had just finished the last of the daily chores and there was no one in need of serious tending. She bit her lip, and then saw Caladon walk out the side door to tend to the garden like a messenger from the Valar.

"Caladon!" Sílaedhel called, waving her arm. "I am leaving! Tell Talathiel to have the apprentices turn in their daily reports to her, will you? I will look over them tomorrow."

"Of course," Caladon replied as he watched Sílaedhel drop her basket and toss her pinafore into it before she hopped over the fence.

"I do claim the strawberry as mine," Sílaedhel said as Erie ran giggling into her arms. She picked Erie up and planted a loud kiss on her cheek before the king came and claimed one of his own.

"I promise we have plenty to go around," Gil-galad said as he kissed his wife. "Allow me to relieve you of this burden though, I should not want you to tire yourself before we reach the shore."

He hauled a squealing Erie over his shoulder and rearranged the bag on his hip. A soft tinkling sound came from the bag, and Sílaedhel looked down, puzzled.

"What is—?"

"Shh," Gil-galad pressed a finger to his lips and motioned to Erie, who continued to giggle.

"You know you spoil her," Sílaedhel said as she took his offered arm and walked with him down to the beach.

"She is my daughter, I can spoil her if I want to," he affirmed.

"Am I spoiled?" Erie asked as she tried to look over her shoulder, but her ada jostled her, making her giggle again.

"Why, there is no other creature in all of Arda or Aman who is more rotten than you," Gil-galad said. "But I would have you no other way."

* * *

The day of Lindriel's party arrived after an agonizing week of waiting. Erie thought that the five days of waiting for her present to be completed was agony, but the remaining days were even worse. Celairil had truly made one of the most beautiful suncatchers that Erie had ever seen, and she couldn't wait to see the look on Lindriel's face when she opened it.

Erie carried the box wrapped in bright paper and ribbon to Lindriel's house, smiling all the way. Her parents and Elrond followed her with presents of their own, but Erie knew they were only token gifts. No one could match the splendor of her gift.

"Erie!" Lindriel giggled when she met her outside her house, wearing an embroidered, violet dress with a crown of flowers in her hair. The little courtyard garden had been decorated with paper garlands and lanterns.

"Happy Begetting Day Lindriel!" Erie said, glad to see that her own dress of blue tulle and string of seed pearls in her hair was just right for the occasion. "We brought you all kinds of presents!"

"Thank you! I can't wait to open them!" Lindriel smiled.

"Happy Begetting Day, Lady Lindriel!" Gil-galad greeted with a bow. "I have heard that we are to be delighted with lemon cake, I hope this is indeed true."

"Yes!" Lindriel answered with an excited nod. "My naneth's cake is the best!"

"Then I am now twice as excited for this celebration than I was before," Gil-galad laughed.

Irien appeared in the doorway to greet them, and led them inside to the front parlor that had been decorated for the occasion. More garlands of paper and flowers circled the room, and many adult elves conversed while eating from the many platters of food on decorated tables.

"Come on," Lindriel urged after Irien had taken Erie's present from her. "Everyone is outside, let's go play!"

Erie smiled and followed Lindriel out into the garden where many of the elflings that they played with on the beach had gathered. They spent the time engaged in three-legged races, a scavenger hunt, and ball tosses while their parents socialized and enjoyed the many delicacies. Gil-galad had taken full advantage of his royal title when he helped himself to two servings of Irien's lemon cake.

Only when all the games had been played and the adults had taken their fill, save the king, who found the little cucumber and watercress sandwiches quite delectable, Irien called them all inside so Lindriel could open her presents.

Erie made sure she had the best spot amongst the group that gathered around the table piled high with presents. She fidgeted in anxious excitement as Lindriel opened one gift after another, which contained new watercolors, a journal, candies, and lots of books. Erie was glad that her ada dissuaded her from getting Lindriel a book after they formed three stacks upon the table.

"That one is from me!" Erie said when Irien placed her gift in front of Lindriel, which happened to be the last.

She felt like would burst at any moment, and bounced in anticipation as Lindriel tore away the ribbon and paper. Erie bit her lip as Lindriel opened the top of the box and peered inside, and a slight gasp escaped her lips. Irien reached in and pulled the suncatcher from the box.

It was a downturned flower made of purple glass with green leaves that appeared to have beads of glimmering rainwater attached. From the center of flower hung strands of crystal beads, composed of the flowers, birds, and leaves that Erie had picked out. Lindriel stared at it with wide eyes and opened mouth, and gingerly touched one of the strands as it glittered in the sunlight.

Erie giggled in delight at the expression on her friend's face, completely satisfied by her reaction. She knew she would love it when Celairil let her see it when she and her ada picked it up. Erie thought that it easily rivaled her own beautiful jellyfish. Even the swell of comments about the beauty of the piece didn't make her feel more elated than she was.

"Seems that Celairil may be busy for a while," Sílaedhel murmured to Gil-galad when the party excitedly complemented Erie's gift and openly admired its splendor. Gil-galad could only nod. His mouth was full, and it would have been unseemly to respond otherwise.

"He is the finest glassmaker in the kingdom," he said after he swallowed. "I would go to no one else."

"It's so pretty!" Lindriel beamed when her astonishment wore off. "Thank you, Erie!"

"You're welcome!" Erie smiled as she continued to bounce with excitement. "I knew you'd love it!"

* * *

After the last of the guests had been escorted out, the king and his family amongst them, Irien helped Lindriel carry her presents to her room. The little elfling could barely see over the stack of books she carried, and was excited to see that her ada Lindhren was already hanging Erie's present in her room.

She had long admired the brightness of Erie's bedroom, and was delighted that she had her very own piece that could light up her room. Small rainbows danced across the floors and walls of her room, giving it a bit of life that it had otherwise lacked.

"There you are, Tithenaew," Lindhren said when he was finished. "I do hope you enjoyed your party today."

"Yes! I did!" Lindriel said as she set her books down on the little table and chairs by her bookshelf. "I couldn't have had a better day."

"Well, you certainly have plenty of books to read," Irien said as she set a box containing her watercolors and candy down. "And Erie's gift was especially lovely, you did say she had some of her own, didn't you?"

"Uh huh," Lindriel said, looking up in reverence at the suncatcher as it twinkled in the constant breeze that blew through her opened windows. "She has lots of them, but none of hers are as pretty as mine, I don't think. I love it."

"More than our gift to you?" Lindhren asked, raising a brow. A hint of playful offense was in his voice. "You said you wanted _A Collection of Medicinal Plants and Their Uses_ by Saeledhel."

"I did," Lindriel answered with a sweet smile. "And I do love it."

This seemed to satisfy her parents, but she sought to appease them further by finding the book amongst the pile and flip through the pages. Yet when they weren't looking, she would steal glances at the glittering suncatcher in her window and smile.

* * *

**A/N: **I inserted the little piece about Silaedhel so you all could get a better glimpse of her character. I felt the previous chapters she was in made her seem a little too aloof. I'd appreciate your comments about what you think so far! I have only two "chapters" planned after this, so I'm getting close to the end. (And yes, before you ask, I do intend for Celebrimbor to make an appearance in the next one.) Thank you!


	9. A New Rival PtI

**A/N:** So sorry for the long absence! I've been busy working on another story and this one kinda got kicked to the side (so sorry to my lovely readers). I'm determined to get this story finished within the month, now that I'm out of school for the next couple of weeks. Please let me know what you all think!

* * *

**A New Rival (Pt. I)**

In the months since she arrived in Aearellond, Lindriel had never seen the entire royal court gathered together. She was uncomfortably surrounded by silk, velvet, and plated armor in the main courtyard, with the glaring sun overhead, and the buzz of many conversations ringing incessantly in her ears.

She sighed and scratched the back of her head, which was arrayed in a multitude of tightly pinned, itchy braids, while her own splendidly attired parents conversed with one of her ada's friends. Lindriel was obscenely bored and looked over at Erie, who stood with her own family before the main stairwell to the palace.

They weren't allowed to stand together in the courtyard, and had Lindriel been able to talk with Erie while they waited, she wouldn't have been so miserable. At least Erie didn't look bored as she twirled around in her silver lace dress. Then again, Erie had been over the moon since she found out Celebrimbor was coming for a visit.

"Celebrimbor is coming! Celebrimbor is coming!" Erie had cried when she ran up to her on the beach a few weeks ago. "Lindriel! Celebrimbor is coming all the way from Eregion! I'm so excited!"

Erie had often mentioned the Fëanorion to her, how he would tell her interesting stories about the lands and peoples that lived beyond the borders of Lindon, and the presents he would often bring her from the places he visited. Since she had found out Celebrimbor would be visiting them, Erie had spoken of him nonstop.

Each and every conversation would turn into something about Celebrimbor, about what he had told her about this or that, or how he had made her this or brought her that from there.

Not only had Lindriel grown annoyed by Erie's constant praise, but a twinge of jealousy had flared to life within her. The reverent way Erie spoke of him, and the planned itinerary surrounding his visit —the banquets, boat rides, and tournaments—meant she wouldn't get to spend a lot of time with her best friend in the coming weeks.

Lindriel scratched the back of her head again, her tiny fingers pulled at the braids in hopes of loosening a particularly itchy one when a forerunner came riding into the courtyard. The buzz of conversation silenced as the runner loudly addressed the king, saying, "Lord Celebrimbor of the House of Fëanor has come, my lord."

"Thank you for delivering us this news, Tirithon," Gil-galad responded, inclining his head.

The runner responded in polite and retreated to a place near the king's side. It was all ceremony, Lindriel realized. The runner would bear his news to the king, then remain close at hand to prove he had delivered his news. She was watching a scripted production that had played over and over in many years past.

The assembled court, the strategic placement of heralds, the streaming banners, and presented refinement were all part of an elaborate play. The only one who seemed to not play their part correctly was Erie, who bounced in giddy excitement. No one seemed to care though, their attention was on the host riding into their presence.

Lindriel's heart pounded at the splendor of the Noldor that thundered into the courtyard, bearing the fiery banners of Fëanor's house. Their gleaming, golden armor with streaming red plumes surpassed the craftsmanship of the King's Guard, and in their midst was a figure clad in red and gold upon a white stallion.

Lindriel frowned when a line of guards and heralds stopped before them, and she had to crane her neck around the horses' legs to get a good look at him. In her mind Lindriel had conjured a flawless figure of Celebrimbor due to Erie's faultless descriptions, but she found he did not match the image in her head. He was neither overly tall nor extraordinarily handsome, but his attire was splendid and befitted a ruling lord. His cuirass was embossed and encrusted with gems, and his tunic and cloak were heavily embroidered in gold.

She watched as he reigned his horse and dismounted, and held out his arms as Erie broke free from her mother's grasp and ran towards him. He swept her up as she hugged him tight and cried aloud, "You're finally here! I missed you!"

"And I missed you, beloved one," Celebrimbor said. "You have grown so much since I last saw you!"

The elf lord carried her on his hip as he then approached the king and bowed. Celebrimbor then spoke to the king, but what was said Lindriel could not hear, the horses that stood in front of her snorted loudly from weariness. Gil-galad laughed, as did those who stood nearby, making Lindriel think she missed something important.

"Come! You must be exhausted," Gil-galad said, clapping Celebrimbor on the shoulder. "There are plenty of refreshments for you and your company inside."

"I thank you for your generosity my lord," Celebrimbor's voice was genuine and pleasant.

Gil-galad led the Fëanorion into the palace, speaking with him in a familiar tone. Celebrimbor still carried Erie, and a dozen of his ornately garbed courtiers followed him and the king into the palace.

"Are we not going inside too?" Lindriel asked as the remainder of the court still lingered outside.

"In a moment," Lindhren replied as attendants came to collect the horses from the Fëanorion guards. "We are waiting for the rest of Lord Celebrimbor's court to enter."

"Why?" Lindriel asked out of sincere curiosity, watching as the bodyguards and standard bearers dismounted and thanked the attendants.

"Because they too are the guests of the High King," Lindhren explained. "It is proper to allow them to be the first to partake in the generous meal he has provided for them. It would be extremely rude of us to start feasting after they have journeyed so far."

"Oh, I understand now," Lindriel said, thinking how she would feel is someone else had taken something that was meant for her.

Empathy aside, it took too long for them to go inside and for the rest of the court to follow. By the time Lindriel and her parents entered the grand hall that had been prepared with tables laden with food and drink, the royal family and Celebrimbor were gone.

Lindriel could only sigh.

For the next two weeks Lindriel barely saw Erie, and when she did it was usually from afar. Erie however, seemed quite content being near her beloved Celebrimbor during the numerous dinners and events that were held. She was always sitting close to him, talking and laughing as they watched fencing matches, acrobatic performances, and horse races.

Though Lindriel herself enjoyed the tournaments and games ―for she and her family always had the best front and center seats at each event―she felt achingly lonely when there was nothing to occupy her time. She would either play alone in her room or spend countless hours in the library, flipping through books.

While she still played with some of the other elflings on the beach, none of them were like Erie. They never told her interesting things about the sea, sword fighting, or heroes from the past. Nor would they go to the places Erie often went. They were too afraid to go to the library or watch fencing matches with Lindriel, so she often went alone.

It was as if she was back at her old home, and it wasn't until now that Lindriel realized how lonely she had been. She sat at her little desk in her room one afternoon, watching another storm rage outside her window, feeling as dejected as ever.

It was this sight that Lindhren saw when he walked into her bedroom to tell her luncheon was nearly ready. His heart lurched at seeing her look so miserable, her arms were folded on her little desk with her chin resting on them. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Whatever is the matter Tithenaew?" he asked as he walked towards her, though he already suspected what was wrong.

"Nothing," she replied, her voice muffled by her arms.

"You miss Erie, don't you?" Lindriel nodded as he knelt down beside her. "You will soon be able to see her again, once her time is her own. I know she must miss you terribly as well."

"How do you know that?" Lindriel asked, perking up. "Have you talked to her?"

"No," Lindhren replied and watched her expression fall again. "But she waves whenever she sees you, doesn't she?"

Lindriel nodded, her eyes still downcast. It wasn't just Erie either, the King, Elrond, and even Celebrimbor would wave after Erie pointed to her in the crowd. Though it was a nice gesture, it did not alleviate her loneliness. "She does, but she seems happy though, especially with Celebrimbor."

"Erie loves him very much and does not see him often, but I do not doubt that she wishes you could be there with her," he said. "She considers you to be her very best friend, she has not forgotten you."

"I hope so," she said, though doubt still lingered in her mind. "I just don't understand why Erie and I can't see each other, can't she come play for a while at least?"

"There are many engagements that Erie must be present for, and when her presence is not required, she must be spending time with her family," Lindhren said. "There will be many times like this in the future where you will be parted, you will simply have to learn how to occupy your time."

Lindriel sighed, thinking to herself that her future looked lonely and gloomy.

"But you can always write to one another, and perhaps one day—"

"I can write her a letter!" Lindriel started, slamming her hands down on the surface of her desk. "That's what I can do! That way I'll know she hasn't forgotten about me, and I can find out what she's doing!"

Lindhren nearly fell backwards at Lindriel's unexpected outburst and watched as she grabbed paper and pencil faster than he could blink. She hesitated however; her pencil hovered over the paper before she turned to look at him with a sheepish expression.

"How do you compose a good letter?"

Lindhren smiled and reached down to pick her up. "Let us go wash and have lunch first, then I shall help you write your first letter. You can think about what you want to say to her while you eat," he said.

Though a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to start her letter right away, Lindriel was still excited. There were so many things that she wanted to say to Erie, and all of these thoughts swirled in her head to the point she was nearly dizzy. However, she soon found that putting her thoughts to paper would be more challenging than she realized.

* * *

Erie had just returned home after spending the day watching an archery contest then attending the subsequent celebration for the winner. While the contest itself was fun, the party afterwards was incredibly boring. She had no one to play with and everyone talked about subjects that she didn't understand. Erie wasn't the least bit disappointed when it started to rain.

Though to be honest, Erie wasn't sure she wanted to learn about ore trading, or if the mathematics that went into shipbuilding and masonry were the same. It was too complicated for her to comprehend, though she tried to initially. A Lord Marshall had to know many things after all, but she couldn't help but turn her attention elsewhere after a short while.

Erie had never before realized that Celebrimbor and his court were such boring conversationalists in public. Or perhaps it was because she had become spoiled to better company recently. Spending time with Lindriel was more fun than attending courtly events.

She was glad she had been sent home ahead of her family and hoped that she had time to go see Lindriel before everyone else returned. Erie felt like she hadn't played with her in ages.

"Do you think I can go to Lindriel's house to play before supper?" Erie asked as Mereniel pulled her from her damp clothes. "I haven't seen her in weeks!"

"No I don't think so," the white-haired elf responded, replacing the silver and pearl encrusted dress with a simple one of pale lavender. "Everyone will be back anytime now, there won't be enough time for you two to play."

"Oh," Erie's face fell, then asked with a sliver of hopefulness. "What about tomorrow?"

"You're going to go watch the boat races tomorrow, remember?" Mereniel said, watching as the elfling's hopeful expression crumbled.

"I forgot," she said, lowering her eyes to the floor.

The little elfling remained silent as Mereniel removed her mithril headband and ran a comb through her hair. Erie sniffed and wiped her eyes as Mereniel braided her hair into a single plait, seemingly distracted by the multicolored lights that danced across the floor.

"A messenger came by while you were gone," the elder elf said as she tied off Erie's braid with a ribbon. Her light tone perked the elfling's interest, for it seemed like she knew something important that Erie did not.

"Messengers come to our house all the time," she said, turning when Mereniel was finished. A brow was raised high on her forehead as Mereniel withdrew a small envelope from her apron pocket.

"But amongst the piles of correspondence there was this one addressed to you," she said with a wide smile. "I'd wager you that it's from Lindriel."

Erie gasped and snatched the letter from her hand, tearing it open in an instant.

"It is from Lindriel!" she squealed as she quickly read over it, bouncing with uncontrollable excitement. "I need to write her back straightaway!"

"Now wait, Erie!" Mereniel cried when the elfling flew from the room.

The housekeeper sighed, not knowing why she still tried to stop the willful elfling. The trait was inherent to Fingolfin's bloodline. Mereniel gathered up Erie's dress and headband, intending to put them away before she followed her up to Elrond's room. He always helped Erie compose her letters and Mereniel had no doubts that was where the elfling was heading.

All she needed to do was ensure Elrond would be there with her so she wouldn't give the entire household another heart attack. It was about two years ago when Erie tried to write one herself and overturned the red ink she was using. It spilled all over her letter, the desk, and herself. Knowing she would receive a reprimand for ruining her shirt and staining the table, she dissolved into hysterics.

Mereniel recalled how she, Gil-galad, and Celebrimbor raced towards the sounds of crying, only to come to a dead halt when they saw Erie walk out of the room towards them. They blanched when they saw her shirt and arms were drenched with scarlet fluid.

Certain she had somehow cut herself, blind panic ensued. Celebrimbor shouted for aid while Mereniel started into the nearest bedroom to find something to bind her wound. Guards and aides came running, and the resulting commotion made Erie cry harder. She must have thought she was in greater trouble, for not even Gil-galad could not soothe the wailing elfling.

Her shrieking cries convinced everyone that she was hurt and in pain. It never occurred to them that Erie was terrified by so many people rushing towards her, prodding her, or shouting at one another.

It was only after Sílaedhel came onto the scene and took Erie into another room that events came to light. Sílaedhel found no wound and Erie promptly confessed to her wrongdoing once she calmed down a little. Mereniel was crushed inside the doorframe with twenty other Elves when the choking and sniffling elfling said she spilled the ink, and remembered the rush of relief that swept through everyone.

In hindsight, the commotion worked in Erie's favor. Her parents and everyone else were so relieved that she only received a slight scolding as punishment. She was even given an extra helping of dessert that night. Regardless, Mereniel didn't want to have to clean a spill or make Erie explain to her parents why she ruined another one of her dresses.

Erie however, had no such thoughts in her mind as she raced to Elrond's room with her letter in hand. In fact, she was so focused on reaching her destination that she didn't see the fabulously attired Celebrimbor round the corner until it was too late.

"Eru, Erie!" Celebrimbor startled when she slammed into his shins then landed on the floor with a loud thump. He was concerned the elfling hurt herself until she bounced back up with a smile on her face. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

"My friend Lindriel sent me a letter!" Erie explained as she waved the piece of paper around. "I have to write her back!"

Erie started around the Fëanorian, intending to continue her course to Elrond's room, till Celebrimbor swept her up in his arms.

"It must be a grave message if you must write her back immediately," Celebrimbor said with a grin. "What concerns elflings so much? Did something terrible happen to the waterslide down by the grotto? Or did they run out of sweetmeats down in the market?"

Erie giggled.

"No! We haven't been able to play in weeks, so she says she misses me, and I have to tell her I miss her too!" she said, pointing to a particular passage. "She says to write as soon as I can!"

"Ah, I see," Celebrimbor said, shifting Erie to his hip and taking her letter in his bejeweled hand. He was quite impressed with the practiced letters; the handwriting didn't seem to have come from a small elfling. "Is this the same friend you have been telling me about?"

Though Celebrimbor was certain that the letter was from Erie's little friend, the one whom she always pointed out in every crowd and had spoken of in every tale she told him, he couldn't help but incite her. He quite enjoyed listening to Erie's stories, she could always make finding shells or going to the market sound like such an adventure.

"Yes, she is, she's my best friend!"

"I thought I was your best friend?" Celebrimbor asked with a raised brow, startling Erie. Not surprisingly, she responded with the only excuse an elfling could give.

"I can have more than one!"

Celebrimbor threw back his head and laughed, then said, "I was only teasing you."

"But come, I would like to hear what your friend has to say, you've told me so much about Lindriel that I feel as though I know her as well as you do," he said, holding the letter out to her. "Read it to me if you choose."

"I don't mind," Erie said before she began to read.

_To Ereiniel daughter of Gil-galad High King of the Noldor from Lindriel daughter of Lord Lindhren of Hithlum. It is my wish that you are doing well, and are enjoying all the games and contests that have taken place during our parting. Because you have allowed me to accompany you to the fencing hall, I have been particularly enjoying the tournaments myself. It is exciting to see all these famed warriors dressed in their colors and armor, and testing their skills against one another. I was not surprised that Glauraud won, he was magnificent was he not?_

_ I wish I could tell you everything that I thought that day, but I think I would have used up all the paper in my desk and this simple letter would have become a novel. Besides, I know you have been busy and wouldn't have the time to read it anyway, so I hope we can see each other soon and talk about everything that has happened over these last several weeks. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if I write to you and let you know that I haven't forgotten you or our friendship. _

_ I will tell you that I have been visiting the library regularly and playing on the beach with our―_

"How do you say that word?" Erie asked.

"Mutual," Celebrimbor said, enunciating the word.

"Oh! I remember it now!" Erie replied with a giggle before turning back to the letter.

_―with our mutual friends. Ada has started increasing the length of my lessons because of the rain, but I don't mind. I find them interesting and it's better than being bored. He's even taught me a bit on the policy making process, which seems simple until you try to apply it. He says people often have different proposals and it sometimes takes years of debate before a policy is adopted. _

"Is that true?" Erie asked, turning an inquisitive eye to Celebrimbor, who nodded with a mournful expression upon his face.

"Oh aye it is," he replied. "But people don't argue about the same issue every day for those years, oftentimes there is more information needed and inquests are launched. It can take quite a bit of time to gather reports in order to make an effective decision."

Erie grimaced. "No wonder ada complains about them all the time."

Celebrimbor laughed.

_Have you learned anything interesting lately? You once told me that Lord Celebrimbor always told you stories about the lands and people outside of Lindon, I hope you wouldn't mind sharing what you may have learned with me. Or anything else you may have learned or found interesting. I miss you and your stories and hope you'll write back very soon. _

_ Your most devoted friend, _

_ Lindriel_

_P.S. This is my first attempt at writing a formal letter, so I hope it is at least well-written. Ada did help me though. _

"Well done!" Celebrimbor said when Erie finished reading. "You are very lucky to have such a thoughtful friend; I can see why you want to write her back straightaway."

"I'm glad that she wrote to me," Erie said as Celebrimbor set her back down. He still held onto the letter.

"Well come, we have just enough time to compose a rough draft of your response before dinner," he said, holding out his hand to her.

"You're going to help me?" Erie said, her face lighting up. "But wait, I think it will upset Elrond if we do it without him, he always helps me write my letters."

"I do not think he will mind if we write your initial response and ask him to evaluate it," Celebrimbor responded. "He can help us with your final draft."

"Okay!" Erie said, taking the Fëanorion's hand and walking with him. "You don't happen to know of any interesting stories that we can tell Lindriel, do you? I've already told her all the ones you've told me before."

"Why, I was just thinking the same thing, and I think that I have one that both you and she might enjoy."


	10. A New Rival PtII

**A New Rival (Pt. II)**

Erie's response arrived two days later by a courier from the palace. Lindriel had been anxiously awaiting her return letter, and had practically set a watch for herself by the front door. She had even pushed a chair in front of the window that looked out into their courtyard, so she could read and keep watch at the same time.

It was when she was in the midst of reading about the fall of Doriath when she spied the courier walking through the front gate. Lindriel knew the missive he bore was for her, for he was dressed in the colors of the King's house, and it was often a common page who delivered her ada's correspondence from the palace.

Lindriel shouted for her naneth and tossed her book aside, sprung from her chair and hurried to the door. Irien appeared in the main corridor, having been interrupted from her weaving, to softly chide Lindriel for her outburst.

"Now what is the matter? You know better than to shout like that indoors," she said before there was a knock at the door.

"It's my letter from Erie!" Lindriel said with a wide grin on her face as she bounced with excitement. "Oh please naneth, hurry and open the door!"

Irien sighed and smoothed the front of her dress before doing as her daughter asked. Lindriel was on her heels when she opened the door to a young, dark haired elf dressed in midnight blue. He immediately bowed low and greeted them in a friendly tone.

"Good day to you milady, I am Atherion in service to the High King," he said as he retrieved a sealed letter from his bag. "Pardon me if I am disturbing you, but I was given a missive by Lord Elrond to bring to Lady Lindriel straightaway, tis from the High Princess herself."

"That's mine!" Lindriel said as she burst from behind her mother, clearly startling Atherion. "Erie responded to my letter; I can't thank you enough for bringing it to me!"

"Y-you're welcome," Atherion replied as he handed the missive over. He didn't realize before that Lady Lindriel was naught but a small elfling. It made sense now though, that Princess Ereiniel would be writing to one of her little friends.

Irien chuckled as Lindriel disappeared with the letter, and held the door open for the courier.

"Please come in and let me get you some refreshment as a thank you," she said to a much grateful Atherion.

"I appreciate that greatly," he said, following her into the house.

Lindriel herself had already raced upstairs to her ada's study by the time they entered. She hoisted herself up into his great leather chair to retrieve the letter opener he kept in the top desk drawer. She carefully sliced underneath the blue seal as she had seen her ada do, and unfolded the letter.

_Ereiniel daughter of Gil-galad to Lindriel daughter of Lindhren of Hithlum. I hope this letter finds you well, and you've continued to enjoy all the festivities that ada and the court are hosting. I see you at each one and wish we had time to talk, but I was told long beforehand we wouldn't get to. I did ask ada to make sure you always had a good place to sit though._

_Like you, I've been enjoying the tournaments the most and hope that one day I can participate myself. Ada always wants to do so, but naneth and Elrond always talk him out of it. They say it would be in poor taste for the High King to beat his most loyal knights in front of a large crowd. _

_He did, however, have a wager going with Celebrimbor and all the other lords in the box we were sitting in. Naneth and I couldn't help but laugh the entire time, it was so funny to see everyone so anxious and excited and heckling one another when knights won and lost. It made the tournament so much more fun. I wasn't surprised myself that Glauraud won, he's by far one of the best warriors at court. The only person I've ever seen him to lose to is ada. Ada however, had absolute confidence in him and bet fifty gold mirian that Glauraud would win. Celebrimbor seemed disappointed that his knight was bested, and he lost so much money at the end. I felt bad for him, but he assured me that it was just a game they were playing, and he wasn't upset at all. _

_Speaking of Celebrimbor, he has recently told me a story that you might find interesting. I've already told him a lot about you, and he hopes he can soon meet you. He sends his greetings, as does Elrond. (They've both helped me write this letter to you.) As you may already know, Celebrimbor has many Dwarven friends that live in the heart of the Hithaeglir in Dwarrowdelf. He visited their halls before coming to Lindon, and says they are in the midst of expanding their kingdom westward. _

_By doing this, the Dwarves will be opening up a trade route between themselves, Elves, and Men who live on the west side of the Hithaeglir. He says that the crafts of the Dwarves in Dwarrowdelf far surpass those of the Blue Mountains, and he even brought me a new music box to prove it. Oh Lindriel, I can't wait for you to see it! It's a small mithril cage that has two birds made of sapphire and emerald inside it. They even sing to one another! It's by far the most beautiful one I have now. _

_Anyway, not only will our peoples grow richer from this new route, but we will be able to share knowledge which has long been held to our own. Celebrimbor says that he and many other smiths have already learned much from the Dwarves, and have greatly increased their skill. That's the most important part of this new expansion, establishing friendships and learning from one another. The wealth that it will generate is just a fortunate side-effect. _

_I do so hope that it does just that, creates a lasting friendship between everyone. It's better to have lots of friends, I think, that way you're never lonely. I hope you haven't been terribly lonely these last few weeks; it seems you've been keeping busy though. Ada and Celebrimbor say that policy making is quite complicated and agree the most difficult part is getting everyone to compromise. It seems tedious to me and I'm not looking forward to the day when I must learn to do it. _

_I miss you terribly and can't wait to see you again. Please write back soon, we're all anxious to hear from you. And if your letter is as long as a novel I wouldn't mind, it'll seem like you're here with me. _

_Your friend, _

_Erie_

Lindriel couldn't help but read over the letter several times. Erie had never forgotten about her it seemed, and even Lord Celebrimbor wanted to meet her. Asking about news from Celebrimbor had been her ada's suggestion, even though Lindriel did not want to hear anything more about the Elf Lord. Now she was glad she included it.

She couldn't stop smiling as her eyes wandered over the dark blue letters, finding the portion about the wager to be her most favorite part. There were plenty of Elves around her doing the same at the time, so she could easily imagine the scene Erie described.

"I haven't seen you smile that big in a while," Irien said as she came into the room.

Lindriel looked up and did not miss her mother's half frown when she saw the letter opener sitting on the desk. Lindriel carefully placed it back in the desk drawer and shut it, but knew she'd receive another lecture about using sharp objects when unattended.

"Erie wrote me back," she said, offering the letter to Irien. "She says she misses me too, and that Lord Celebrimbor wants to meet me."

"No wonder you look so happy," Irien said, choosing to ignore the issue about the letter opener for the moment. Lindriel had never cut herself when supervised before, but still, she'd rather not have Lindriel learn by making painful mistakes.

"Do you think ada will help me write her back after supper tonight?" she asked as her mother read over the letter. "I know he's been working a lot since Lord Celebrimbor's court arrived."

"I will make certain that he does," she replied with a smile and refolded the letter. "In the meantime, let's go find some ribbon we can tie it with."

"Like the way ada does his?" she asked, her eyes looking to the three piles of correspondence bound with shiny black ribbon on the desktop.

"Yes, that way you can keep all your letters together and read over them again if you choose," Irien said as she held out her hand. "You should always keep those that mean the most to you, and I have no doubt that you will want to treasure your first letter from Erie."

"Of course I will!" Lindriel said as she hopped off the chair and took her mother's hand. "Can we see if we have a purple ribbon?"

Irien chuckled. "Of course we can."

* * *

Another storm raged outside as Celebrimbor sat hunched over the parlor desk with pencil and paper, making designs and scribbling notes. On the other side Erie sat in Elrond's lap, composing what was now her third letter to Lindriel. He half listened as the elfling asked questions about how she should word sentences or spell certain words. When Celebrimbor did comment he never looked up from his task and merely agreed with what Elrond said.

For now, his attention was primarily focused on the paper before him. This new string of correspondence prompted Celebrimbor to start designing a heraldic device for Erie. While it was acceptable to use her father's on her letters for now, she would soon need one of her own.

Since her sources of correspondence would continue to grow, she would want to show the receiver that letters were from her and not her father. More than that, when she came of age she would establish a household and court of her own. She would need something to represent her and her house for every occasion.

Celebrimbor wanted it to echo the established traits of Fingolfin's house, blue and silver with a myriad of stars. He also envisioned something simple yet whimsical for Erie, to match her personality. He even thought a lighter shade of blue would be best for her, perhaps more of an ocean blue rather than midnight. It would make hers further distinguishable and acknowledge her Falathrim heritage as well.

"Done!" Erie exclaimed as she held her pen high in triumph after signing her name.

"Excellent work," Elrond said, taking the glass pen from her and placing it in the holder. "Your handwriting is improving greatly."

"Can I do it?' Erie asked when Elrond reached for the sand shaker.

Celebrimbor swiped away the grains of sand that were blown across his paper by Elrond and Erie. As he did, he raised up to look over the many variations he had thus far designed. He preferred one of his later composites, a four pointed star with a halo, with twisted rays between each of the star's four points. It was reminiscent of Fingolfin's emblem, but he imagined a color scheme of ocean blue and turquoise would make it distinguishable.

"Would you like to look over it Celebrimbor?" Erie asked, snapping him from his work.

He looked up to see her holding her letter to him, her eyes brimming with hopefulness. It seemed his approval was needed before her letter could be a ready success, so Celebrimbor dropped his pencil and took her letter, leaning back in his chair as he did. Her handwriting still tilted towards the right and her letters possessed a garland curve, but it was neat and legible. There were no ink spots or smudges; quite an accomplishment for a young elfling.

"You've done very well," Celebrimbor said after he finished reading the account of their picnic the day before. A break in the festivities allowed them to venture down to the shore, and they had spent the entirety of the day swimming, sailing, and fishing.

He particularly enjoyed her narrative regarding their supper that evening. Gil-galad had caught a fifty-pound halibut ―which was enormous to the elfling due to her descriptions― that they roasted over a campfire they made on the beach. However, it was an offhanded comment that deeply touched him.

_I wish every day was like this. I love it when my family is all together and having fun, those are the best days. I hope there are many more times just like this one before Celebrimbor leaves next year. Maybe you can even come next time, that way it'll be even more fun!_

Celebrimbor was reminded of his own cherished memories of being with his father and uncles when he was younger. Though they lived in uncertain times, especially when they first came to Arda, they managed to take plenty of hunting trips together.

Though each of the sons of Fёanor had their own interests, hunting was the one pastime they all shared. He had many fond memories from his early youth, such as Celegorm teaching him how to track wildlife, Amras helping him craft his first bow, and Caranthir showing him how to prepare fresh game.

He also remembered that after he tracked and killed his first stag Maedhros had boasted about it to his entire court. His uncle was brimming with pride as he recounted Celebrimbor's achievement, while several of his other uncles interjected with their own excited comments. Even his own father was pleased with him, giving him one of his rare smiles and clapping him on the shoulder many times at dinner that evening.

He often wondered why everything went so wrong after that.

"I hope you don't mind that I included the part about you falling off the boat," Erie said rather sheepishly as she peeked up at him, tearing him from his thoughts. Both Celebrimbor and Elrond laughed.

"It was rather funny wasn't it?" Celebrimbor said as he handed the letter back to her. "I don't mind, but I also think the next time that your father suggests a fishing trip I will stay ashore."

"You just do not have your sea legs yet," Elrond said as he shifted Erie on his lap. "Though I admit that Gil-galad does enjoy riding the rough waves when the wind is up."

"You'd think he was trying to drown us all," Celebrimbor said, recalling how the king kept steering them into oncoming waves. It was when the boat lurched high over a crashing wave that Celebrimbor slipped on the wet deck and fell over the railing with a strangled cry.

Even though he had to tread rough water for almost ten minutes before the boat came back round to fetch him, Celebrimbor couldn't help but laugh after he was fished from the water. Not only did he recognize the humor in the situation, but he was laughing because he hadn't felt so much joy in years.

There was no one else left of his house but him, and those happy moments with his father and uncles were distant memories. However, that same feeling of familial love was ever present yesterday. He felt it when Gil-galad filled his supper plate, remembering that he did not like lemon sauce poured over his fish, then again when Erie and Elrond insisted on going to the grotto after he admitted he had never swum there before, and lastly when Sílaedhel surprised him at the end of the day with his favorite dessert.

He felt wanted, included, and valued, and it meant more to him than any of them knew.

Erie was right, the best days were spent having fun with those you loved most, and the realization gave him an idea.

"Let me see that again for a moment," Celebrimbor said as he reached for the letter.

Both Erie and Elrond watched him as he took the pen and wrote something at the bottom of the page before sanding it. He blew the sand away and handed back to Erie, watching with a smile on his face as she and Elrond read over his message.

"You really mean it?" Erie beamed after reading it.

"Yes, of course I do," Celebrimbor responded, then watched as the elfling jumped off Elrond's lap and came running around the desk towards him.

She hugged him tight after he picked her up, and he kept her close after she released him. Erie realized that he wanted her to stay with him after he wrapped his arm around her, and settled against his soft velvet tunic. Her attention however, was quickly captured by the many circles on the paper that lay before them.

"Those are really pretty," Erie commented before Celebrimbor pulled the paper closer for inspection.

"You think so?" he asked. The little elfling clearly had no idea what she was looking at, nor could she know they were all meant for her. It certainly created an impartial situation that he could not pass up. "Which one do you like best?"

"I like that one!" she said, enthusiastically pointing to it.

Celebrimbor raised a brow and softly snorted. Erie had not picked the one he favored, instead she had chosen one of his earlier composites. It was a large star with four long points and four shorter ones with a faint halo behind it. Between the long points were four pointed stars that touched the edge of the badge.

While the device's eight points would still denote her status as the daughter of a High King, Celebrimbor had rejected it due to its simplicity. However, he could see its appeal the longer he considered it. With the right color scheme it would be both elegant and distinctive, quite fit for a High Princess.

"What are all these for? Are you going to make something out of it?" Erie asked as she continued to look over them.

"Maybe," Celebrimbor responded, catching Elrond's wary eye. "Here, go show your letter to your ada and let him know of our plan."

"Alright!" Erie said when Celebrimbor handed her the letter and set her down on the floor. Giving her a quick kiss on the forehead he let her scamper off to find her father. Once she was out of earshot Elrond turned to Celebrimbor with a frown upon his face.

"Don't let Gil-galad see that, you know he doesn't like to think about her getting older," he said.

"Erie will grow up whether he wants her to or not," Celebrimbor responded, settling back in his seat and picking up his pencil. "We might as well be prepared for the day it happens."

Elrond sighed but said nothing further. Instead, he started to clean the pen that they had been using and set it back in the holder when his task was complete. Celebrimbor waited until he was finished before he slid his designs before Elrond.

"Which do you like best?" he asked, unable to help himself.

Elrond glanced over the paper before he responded, "I like the one Erie picked."

Celebrimbor dropped his pencil in dramatic manner and huffed. Clearly no one else in his family had any taste.


End file.
